Grilled tomatoes inspired me to start Twice as Tasty. Processing sessions on 100-degree days that began by oven-roasting tomatoes, which then bubbled for hours in kettles with other ingredients, convinced me to find a cooler way put roasted flavor in sauces, salsas and more. I settled on grilling the vegetables outdoors – including big, juicy heirloom tomatoes that make an irresistible base for bloody Mary mix.
The results were so delicious that friends suggested I start a business. Instead of mass production, I chose to share the recipes through a food blog, workshops, cookbook and now this column.
Tomatoes grill easily: Cut them in half crosswise, place the cut side on a hot oiled grill grate or perforated pan and sear for about two minutes seals in the juice. Flip each half and cook another five minutes, until soft but retaining shape. Lift them with tongs or a spatula into a large-holed colander set over a large bowl to drain. Once cool, strain the juice again through a fine-mesh colander to remove the seeds.
I originally processed batches of bloody Mary mix in a water-bath canner, but the flavor fades as it sits on the shelf. For the freshest taste, I now freeze just the juice in containers or cubes and defrost enough to prepare a quart of mix at a time.
This mix is flavorful enough to pour over ice without the alcohol. Instead of vodka, try blanco tequila or white rum. I mainly use homemade garnishes, including pickled asparagus, garlic scapes and beans, but like a splash of olive brine. The brine left in a pickle jar works too.
Grilled Tomato Bloody Mary Mix
Makes 1 quart jar
3-1/2 cups grilled tomato juice
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-1/4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes hot sauce, or to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons horseradish powder
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon finely ground white or black pepper
Roasted or pickled garlic, vodka, olive brine, ice and garnishes for serving
Heat the grilled juice until just below a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime and lemon juices and Worcestershire and hot sauces until blended. Sprinkle in the garlic and horseradish powders, salt, celery seed and pepper, stirring until the salt dissolves. Let the mix cool completely. Pour it into a quart jar, screw on a lid and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to four days before serving.
To serve, set out three or four pint or highball glasses. Put a clove of roasted or pickled garlic, if desired, and ice cubes into each; pour in 2 ounces of vodka and a splash of green olive brine, if desired. Shake the jar of bloody Mary mix vigorously to recombine the flavors, and then divide it among the glasses. Stir and taste, adjusting as needed. Garnish as desired, such as with green olives, pickled asparagus or dilly beans and a lime slice.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.