I have a big ol’ jug of tomato juice that I bought for a recent out-of-town gathering so we could make Bloody Marys. Problem was, everyone else thought of the same thing, and now I have a giant unopened jug o’ tomato juice.
I like Bloody Marys, but rarely more than one at a time. There’s no way in hell I’ll go through this much tomato juice if I limit myself to that.
Problem is, I’m not a big tomato juice fan. I don’t really like drinking it straight. Is there something interesting I can do with this stuff?
Use it in soup? Beef broth mixed with equal parts tomato juice will give you a great base for a beef vegetable soup.
I also have a great, although odd looking, Creamy Carrot Soup recipe that calls for tomato soup. I’ll dig out the recipe this afternoon when I get back from school.
Okay, here’s my Creamy Carrot Soup recipe, adapted from the “English Soup” recipe in America Cooks: The General Federation of Women’s Clubs COOKBOOK. It yields a bright orange soup which makes everyone hesitate at first, but it’s so yummy, they all want seconds! This is one of my most requested pot luck dishes, and it’s perfect for autumn.
Creamy Carrot Soup
2 T butter
1 pound ground beef, ground turkey or TVP (Boca Crumbles)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 c water
3 c tomato juice
2 10.5 ounce cans condensed cream of celery soup*
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp marjoram
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp sugar
3 cups shredded carrots (the preshredded bagged ones are fine, or shred them in your food processor)
Melt butter and brown meat/TVP with the onion. Add everything else. Cover and simmer one hour.
*Actually, I don’t use canned condensed cream of soups anymore because they all have gluten in them and my daughter’s gluten intolerant. I use this gluten free mock condensed cream of celery soup recipe. It can be scaled up and split into “can” size batches and frozen 'til you need it! How cool is that?
My mom’s been known to use tomato juice in chili. Her recipe’s nothing special–although it’s what chili is to me in a way that no carefully refined recipe is.
But basically, she throws together a smallish amount of ground beef, a couple cans of kidney beans, and a bunch of tomato stuff and adds chili powder or chili seasoning mix. If she uses juice, she’ll go light on the canned tomatoes or diced tomatos or whatever. Really it’s whatever tomato based substence is convenient. Hmm, I don’t like the way that reads–really, my mother wouldn’t use salsa or ketchup or spaghetti sauce, but she’s not picky about fresh vs. frozen vs. canned whole or diced tomatos vs. tomato juice.
Gazpacho! I’m not a tomato juice fan (or a raw tomato fan in most instances) but I do love me some Gazpacho.
Gazpacho Recipe
Ingredients
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 purple onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (omit for vegetarian option)
4 cups tomato juice
Method
Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.
I could give you exact measurements if I knew how much juice you have. But I can also give you my method of fool-proof rice without an exact liquid/rice ratio.
This recipe is for a basic tomato rice. It is a really versatile side dish which freezes well. You’ll need a big pot (like a stock pot but one that is wider than it is taller) and the lid, plus a clean cotton tea towel.
Dice 2 large onions. Melt 1/4 cup butter in pot. Add onions, saute just until softened. Add 4 cups rice, stirring frequently, until rice turns opaque. Smooth the rice down with the back of a spatula. Add the tomato juice slowly until it is between 3/4 inch and 7/8 inch above the level of the rice.
Bring the rice and juice to a boil, but don’t let it boil too hard. When the rice has absorbed enough liquid that holes start to form in the top of the rice, cover the pot with the tea towel, set the lid on top, and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Make sure the tea towel isn’t dangling. I fold mine back up on top the lid. This will stop the condensate from dripping off the lid and making the rice mushy.
Leave the rice for 15 minutes. Turn off heat but leave lid on for another 15 minutes.
I freeze it in large ziploc bags, laid flat for efficient storage and quick defrosting. Sometimes I toss in frozen peas. It makes a great side dish for the pre-cooked BBQ chicken at the grocery.