Roasted Tomato Bloody Mary Mix

Years and years ago I used to attend and occassionally host a weekly poker party. It was penny-ante stuff, literally; the ante was a nickle and the highest you could raise was a quarter. High stakes, folks! Of course, the card playing was really just an excuse for poor grad students to get together and feast on snacks and drinks.

At my house we perfected the Bloody Mary; spicy tomato juice, worchestershire sauce, horseradish and of course all of the garnishes possible - dill pickle, green olive (stuffed with garlic or blue cheese), carrot stick, and celery. It was practically gazpacho with vodka! Always a hit with everyone, and we made them by the pitcher-full. Needless to say many risks were taken and much laundry money lost on the Bloody Mary nights!

Flash forward to a bumper crop of heirloom tomatoes and watching Guy Fieri make roasted heirloom tomato Bloody Mary mix and I was inspired. Here's my version. I added some rosemary, taking a cue from another homemade version I had at the Westside Tavern (incredible!)

Perfect for a late afternoon when all you really want is a drink but need to add some food to keep from feeling like a complete lush. You can make this ahead of time and store in a mason jar for at least a week, not that it will actually last that long once you try it!

Roasted Tomato Bloody Mary Mix

3 lbs tomatoes (mix of heirlooms), chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed and broken up
2, 4" pieces of rosemary, stripped of leaves and chopped
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes, peppers, garlic and rosemary with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes. Puree in blender and chill for at least 1 hour.

Individual Bloody Mary (for pint glass)

1 1/2 cups Bloody Mary Mix
1 1/2 shots vodka
2 teaspoon prepared horseradish sauce
2 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
2 shakes of hot sauce
1 dill pickle spear
2 green olivescracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
crushed ice

Combine mix, horseradish, worchestershire sauce and hot sauce in screw top jar and shake vigorously. Pour over crushed ice and vodka and garnish with celery, pickle and olives and dust with fresh ground pepper if desired.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Italian Sausage and Summer Squash Pasta at Eats Well with Others
Pickling Runner Beans at Nip It In the Bud
Salad Nicoise at Bitten (The Temporary Vegetarian)