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.