September has been glorious, and I’m trying to make the good season last for as long as I can. 

I bought lots of tomatoes, the ripest I could find and trasnformed them in peeled tomatoes, salsa, tomato sauce, marinara sauce, and with the cherry tomatoes even confit!

Last February, during quarantine they were so handy, this year I doubled my efforts. So now on that score I’m not afraid of quarantine no more—but I am afraid of ity on other fronts thought—what if my loved ones won’t be able to travel back home, what am I going to do with my food reserves? 

I’ll think about that another day…

Instead, since our weather-spendid summer was particularly generous with tomatoes I had bought a lot, and thinking about what to do with them, it occured to me that one of the things that I miss from the USA (people always ask me what I miss from my previous American life); one thing I miss is the tomato juice. Be it the Campbell’s or V8!

That kind of thing is not readily available in Italy, but now that none is available (maybe it is if searching carefully), I thought it was something I like to drink now and then.

And so I did

Most recipes call for a cooking of the tomatoes, but i wanted to try a simpler method:

I made a cros cut on the top of the tomatoes, after washing them very, very well. Then dropped them in a boiling pot and left them there for about a minute. It is easy to see when the skin starts to “open up.” At this point I transferred them in a basin with ice-cold water. 

Once cooled I peeled them, which becomes very easy, and eliminated the seeds and the “water” they hold inside. 

I put them in a bowl and with an immersion blender I blend it all. Then I made it throu a cheese cloth, and there it is!

Let’s Drink to health

I let my tomato juice in the refrigerator, but not for long and then I did a drink, among various choice I set for a “lime, Worchestershire, cayenne” drink, minus the rhum (it was early afternoon…), plus salt of course.

I must say that it tastes sooo much better than V8, or any of the other brands, which to me they always tasted a litle bit like tin (like the tin they were kept on). This instead was 100% deliciousness.

All the Marys you Like

I found out that there are many variations of Bloody Marys, virgins or not; including “Slutty Mary,” “Asian Mary,” “Bloody Maria,” (there must be tequila in there), and “Peppered Mary.” 

I don’t know if mine are among those colorful drinks above, but here are three:

Ginger Mary: with grated ginger, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 lemon juice, and carrot sticks to decor.

Basil Mary: 10 basil leaves shreded by hand, Tabasco sauce, half a cucmber peeled and cored, then grated,  (then filtered with a cheese cloth), add ice cubes.

Lime and Rum: 1 lime, Worcestershire, Cayenne Pepper (Paprika will do too), 2dl of rum.