Cajun Bloody Mary With Pickled Vegetables |
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Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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This is excellent for The Morning After ! Goes down really well and provides a little something to chew on, too. Arrange at least four or five different kinds of pickled vegetables on four or five dishes. Generally speaking, long vegetables work best as stirrers. But short vegetables can work too, as long as you thread several of each on a toothpick or 6-inch bamboo skewer. Ingredients:
4 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes in puree, chilled (in thick tomato puree) |
6 cups tomato juice, chilled |
2 tablespoons celery salt |
2 tablespoons sugar |
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder |
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder |
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper |
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne |
1 1/2 teaspoons tabasco sauce |
1 1/2 cups vodka, chilled |
kosher salt, to taste |
assortment pickled vegetables |
Directions:
1. Working in batches, puree the canned tomatoes and their thick puree in a food processor until smooth. You should have a rich liquid with no lumps.
2. Combine the puree with the tomato juice in a large bowl, blending well.
3. Add the celery salt, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne, Tabasco, and vodka. Season with salt; you may need more than you expect to bring up the flavor of the mix (canned tomatoes have less salt than tomato juice). Keep the mixture cold.
4. For each serving, fill an 8-ounce tumbler with ice cubes. Pour about 4 ounces of the Bloody Mary mixture over the ice, which should almost fill the glass. Garnish with pickled vegetables, at least three pieces per drink.
5. Vegetable Garnishes
6. Here are a few specific ideas:
7. Pickled Okra. This, of course, is the perfect garnish for a Cajun Bloody Mary. Strive to find it! Luckily, a company called Talk 0' Texas makes pickled okra in two varieties (I prefer the hot ), and distributes the product to supermarkets across the country.
8. Pickled String Beans. This is another pickled vegetable you often see in Louisiana Bloodies. A Washington State company called Hogue Farms makes a pickled string bean that is widely distributed.
9. Pickled Asparagus Spears. Hogue Farms makes this as well.
10. Pepperoncini. Also called Tuscan peppers, and available in most supermarkets across the U.S.
11. Pickled Cocktail Onions. Available everywhere. I like to thread three of them on a fancy toothpick, then assemble dozens of these picks on a plate.
12. Pimiento-Stuffed Olives. Choose smaller olives, and arrange on toothpicks like the cocktail onions.
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