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Ingredients: To make about 14 two-inch-long cylinders
2 medium sized baking potatoes (about ½ lb.), peeled and quartered
2 oz. butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus 1 oz. butter
4 oz. freshly grated Münster cheese
1 egg yolk
3 TBS. finely chopped fresh parsley
1¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
1 lb. raw prawns in their shells
4 oz. finely chopped onions
2 oz. flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 oz. soft fresh crumbs made from white bread, prepared in a blender or finely shredded with a fork
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Directions:
1. Drop the potatoes into enough lightly salted boiling water to cover them completely, and cook briskly, uncovered, until they are tender and show no resistance when pierced with the point of a sharp knife. Drain in a sieve or colander, return them to the pan and slide the pan backwards and forwards over a moderate heat for about 10 to 15 seconds, until they are completely dry.
2. Force the potatoes through a ricer set over a deep bowl, or mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Add the butter pieces, the cheese, egg yolk, parsley, salt and pepper, and beat vigorously, using a large wooden spoon, until the mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl tightly with foil or plastic wrap and set it aside.
3. Shell the prawns. De-vein each by making a shallow incision down the back with a small, sharp knife and lifting out the black or white intestinal vein with the point of the knife. Chop the prawns coarsely.
4. Melt the remaining ounce of butter over a moderate heat in a heavy, medium-sized frying pan. When the foam begins to subside, drop in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are soft and transparent but not brown. Add the prawns and stir for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to turn pink. Do not overcook. Add the contents of the pan to the potato mixture and stir together gently. Taste for seasoning.
5. To form each prawn cake, flour your hands lightly, scoop up about 2½ tablespoons of the prawn mixture, and shape it into a cylinder about 2 inches long and ¾ inch in diameter. Roll the cylinder in flour and gently brush or shake off the excess. Paint the entire surface of the cylinder with beaten egg, using a pastry brush, then dip it into the bread crumbs.
6. Fill a deep frying pan or large heavy saucepan with oil to a depth of 3-4 inches, and heat it to a temperature of 375° F on a deep-frying thermometer.
7. Fry the bombas in the hot oil 4 or 5 at a time, turning them over and over with a perforated spoon for a minute or two until they are golden brown on all sides. Transfer them to kitchen paper to drain.
8. Serve the bombas at once, either as an accompaniment to drinks or as a first course.
2 medium sized baking potatoes (about ½ lb.), peeled and quartered
2 oz. butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus 1 oz. butter
4 oz. freshly grated Münster cheese
1 egg yolk
3 TBS. finely chopped fresh parsley
1¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
1 lb. raw prawns in their shells
4 oz. finely chopped onions
2 oz. flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 oz. soft fresh crumbs made from white bread, prepared in a blender or finely shredded with a fork
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Directions:
1. Drop the potatoes into enough lightly salted boiling water to cover them completely, and cook briskly, uncovered, until they are tender and show no resistance when pierced with the point of a sharp knife. Drain in a sieve or colander, return them to the pan and slide the pan backwards and forwards over a moderate heat for about 10 to 15 seconds, until they are completely dry.
2. Force the potatoes through a ricer set over a deep bowl, or mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Add the butter pieces, the cheese, egg yolk, parsley, salt and pepper, and beat vigorously, using a large wooden spoon, until the mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl tightly with foil or plastic wrap and set it aside.
3. Shell the prawns. De-vein each by making a shallow incision down the back with a small, sharp knife and lifting out the black or white intestinal vein with the point of the knife. Chop the prawns coarsely.
4. Melt the remaining ounce of butter over a moderate heat in a heavy, medium-sized frying pan. When the foam begins to subside, drop in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are soft and transparent but not brown. Add the prawns and stir for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to turn pink. Do not overcook. Add the contents of the pan to the potato mixture and stir together gently. Taste for seasoning.
5. To form each prawn cake, flour your hands lightly, scoop up about 2½ tablespoons of the prawn mixture, and shape it into a cylinder about 2 inches long and ¾ inch in diameter. Roll the cylinder in flour and gently brush or shake off the excess. Paint the entire surface of the cylinder with beaten egg, using a pastry brush, then dip it into the bread crumbs.
6. Fill a deep frying pan or large heavy saucepan with oil to a depth of 3-4 inches, and heat it to a temperature of 375° F on a deep-frying thermometer.
7. Fry the bombas in the hot oil 4 or 5 at a time, turning them over and over with a perforated spoon for a minute or two until they are golden brown on all sides. Transfer them to kitchen paper to drain.
8. Serve the bombas at once, either as an accompaniment to drinks or as a first course.
