If you live in Canada, you know that tomato season is in full swing, and these red, yellow, orange, green, and purple globes are fresh, juicy, and ripe for the picking. This glorious season only comes but once a year, so why hold back?!
In addition to their sweet, yet slightly acidic flavour profile—a perfect pairing with basil, avocado, burrata, and sourdough bread, just to name a few—these delicious beauties have a notable number of antioxidants. And as such, regular consumption of tomatoes is associated with decreased risk of chronic degenerative disease, reduction in oxidative stress, and support your heart like a boss.
You heard it here: tomatoes are off the charts good for you! Because a person can only eat so many tomato salads, pasta tosses, tarts, and toasts, we’ve taken the liberty of flipping your green juice habit on its head.
We’ve seasoned our red juice with other farmers’ market gems that also flow freely this time of year (onion, garlic, and celery), but amped up the flavor and gave it some kick with horseradish, hot sauce, and a few other clever add-ins.
This is the juice that drinks like a meal. It’s super tasty on its own, so if you want to stop there, by all means. But it’s Friday, so we thought that this pepperoncini pepper infused vodka would cap off the week nicely (and add a little spice to your life).
Olé!
Red Juice (makes 2 servings)
- 2lb field tomatoes, about 4 large*
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp celery leaves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp horseradish
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, vegan if you prefer
- 2 tsp pepperoncini pepper brine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Pepperoncini Pepper Infused Vodka
- 1 part pepperoncini pepper brine
- 2 parts good quality vodka
Optional: Rim it with lime juice and celery salt.
Garnish with celery sticks (the sweeter inner hearts), heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes, a pepperoncini pepper, and a wedge of lime.
**Any variety of tomatoes will work, but the flavour profile will change, so you may have to adjust the seasonings below and add in a pinch of sweetener.
Blend the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and celery together until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and return the juice back to the clean blender. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until fully incorporated and smooth. Place in the fridge to chill for several hours.
To make the cocktail, rim a collins glass with a lime juice and celery salt then fill it with ice. Pour 1 ounce of pepperoncini pepper-infused vodka into the glass and fill with tomato juice. Stir to combine, and garnish with any/all of the above options, if you like.
