Hi all!
Another month has gone by, and another recipe swap is upon us. Christianna (at Burwell General Store) selects a recipe from a funny old vintage cookbook every month and sends it out to a group of bloggers from all over the world, and then asks us to reinterpret the recipe however we see fit.
This month, Christianna selected Wild Rabbit with Vegetables.
I’ve been part of the recipe swap for quite some time now, but this recipe really caught my eye. We call this a vintage recipe swap (as the recipes are from a vintage cookbook) and this recipe seemed vintage in every sense of the word. I was excited to get my hands dirty and try this old world recipe! But then, I got to thinking about the recipe and I found myself encountering a few major problems with it. Let me explain…
First: It is hot as hell outside right now. While this recipe sounds delicious, it also sounds like the epitome of warm, comforting winter food. The last thing on earth I want to do is turn on my oven, so a braised meat dish just wasn’t going to happen.
Second: I am up to my ears in house projects this weekend and have no time or energy for cooking. We decided to use our Labor Day weekend to sand and paint our deck. Thrilling, right? On top of that, I re-painted our kitchen cabinets and Nich is building us a picnic table for the backyard. So many projects…and so little time to whip up a proper meal.
Last (but certainly not least): I could not, for the life of me, muster up the courage to cook rabbit. I will admit, I’ve eaten – and enjoyed – rabbit on occasion. But I happen to own a teeny tiny bunny rabbit named Lil Omar (yes, he is named after The Wire) and he is like a son to me. He is adorable, he is fearless, and he is the best bunny in the entire world. He’s even potty trained, for crying out loud. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself:
I told you he’s adorable! And while this might sound silly, I just couldn’t stomach the thought of cooking one of Lil Omar’s long lost relatives. So, then, I did what any sensible person in my situation would do: I somehow turned a Wild Rabbit with Vegetables recipe into a cocktail.
Rather than cook rabbit with vegetables, I snuggled with my rabbit and drank some vegetables. Overall, I feel that it was a great decision. No ovens were turned on. No bunnies were harmed. And I made a delicious (and spicy!) bloody mary with heirloom tomatoes from my garden. It was a win-win situation.
I highly encourage you to visit the Recipe Swap page so see what wonderful creations the other swappers whipped up this month!
Fresh Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary with Wasabi
(Adapted from Cookie and Kale)
Note: I garnished the Bloody Mary with these spicy pickled carrots and threw a couple frozen cherry tomatoes in as ice cubes. Also note, I did not share any of the Bloody Mary with Lil Omar.
Ingredients for one cocktail:
2 ounces vodka
1/2 cup organic tomato juice
1 heirloom tomato, cut into wedges and frozen for one hour
A couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
Sriracha (or other brand) hot sauce, to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
freshly ground pepper
For Wasabi salt rim:
Wasabi powder
Kosher salt
A few grinds fresh black pepper
Freeze heirloom tomato wedges for an hour, or until tomato pieces are frozen solid.
Prepare the glass: Pour one Tablespoon of kosher salt into the bottom of a small shallow bowl or plate – so that the salt covers the base of the bowl or plate. Mix in 1/4 teaspoon of wasabi powder and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Stir gently to combine. Wet the rim of a rocks glass with a wedge of melon or lime. Invert the glass and dip into the wasabi salt, to create a salt rim. Set glass aside until needed.
Combine all elements in a blender or food processor, and blend until it reaches a smooth, slushy consistency. Once the mixture is blended, pour into the prepared glass. Garnish with whatever you please, I used spicy pickled carrots and a few frozen cherry tomatoes as ice cubes.
Well you know how I feel about a cocktail so this is the most creative addressing of this challenging recipe in my book! When I popped by earlier to see if you had posted and that you have a rabbit, I thought ‘uh oh’ and felt confident lapin was not going to be on your swap! Great idea my friend. Good luck with the deck project!
this is such a great and creative take on our recipe! very nice work!
People use the term “LOL” as a throwaway for “that was amusing”. I actually laughed out loud at my computer screen when I scrolled down to Lil Omar in the Cuisinart bakers. How I didn’t know Bun (that is what I call him every time I see him in a pic of yours) was named after The Wire I will take responsibility for; I’m just a bad blogging friend.
Thank you, as always, for being a part of the swap, and thank you for your interpretation of the recipe, which is always intelligent, amusing and inspiring.
After seeing that little guy, I wouldn’t want to eat rabbit!! I love how you interpreted this recipe. It sounds amazing!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who couldn’t cook that fluffy little bunny! But I will gladly down a few of those lovely cocktails!
Give Omar a hug from me today!
Simply fantastic! I’ve been holding a few fresh tomatoes to turn into a bloody mary’s- these sound fantastic with the wasabi addition! And love the pickled carrots- outstanding swap!
We’ve never met but we share a love of bunnies. Ours was Westley, so I ‘chickened’ out too. LOVE your bunny..so adorable! And love Bloody Mary’s; the healthy cocktail. :)
Love the idea of wasabi salted rims…adds a nice kick with each sip! Sipping vegetables while holding little Omar is a great interpretation on the recipe!
How I wish I could have one of your “Rabbit Stews” right now:) I used to be a bartender in Michigan and I make a pretty good Bloody Mary, but this one rocks! I love the idea of wasabi salt on the rims and addition of spicy carrot.
And that is one cute, fluffy, bunny! I won’t let my girls see the photo of Lil Omar as they would not stop begging for one (and I just convinced them to give up on the idea of adopting a chinchilla as a pet:)
Ooh, this sounds like the most refreshing cocktail when painting cabinets and sanding decks. Might be my new favorite bloody Mary recipe – especially the simple but brilliant idea of using frozen cherry tomatoes as ice cubes! You are wonderful!
Im so glad you didnt cook rabbit in front of Lil Omar !! Love how you interpreted this recipe. Well done! Seems like the perfect cocktail to enjoy after a day of painting and sanding!
Of course you couldn’t have cooked rabbit. Look at Lil Omar- how could one cook rabbit in front of that little creature!
Love the interpretation of holding the rabbit and drinking your vegetables. :) Animal lovers would be proud of you! As always you impress me with your take on the Swap!
your bunny is so cute! love this recipe :)
[…] admit, I’m a little embarrassed that I’m posting this so soon after my Fresh Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary recipe. Gazpacho is, after all, not too different than a bloody mary. They are both liquid recipes […]
[…] admit, I’m a little embarrassed that I’m posting this so soon after my Fresh Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary recipe. Gazpacho is, after all, not too different than a bloody mary. They are both liquid recipes […]
[…] with the recipe swap. Last month I managed to turn a recipe for Wild Rabbit with Vegetables into a recipe for a Bloody Mary(with lots of gratuitous pictures of my cute bunny rabbit, of […]