Don't know why I keep doing this - since I don't like Bloody Mary's but the guys do, so what the heck!
From last year, the recipe that seemed to work well. Looked and the recipe wasn't in my 2015 notebook. I found it in my recipe file - must have been thinking smart that day.
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix
After storage, the mix may be a bit thick. Just thin it with a bit of water, and of course, vodka.
8 pounds plum tomatoes, quartered
3 green peppers, seeds and ribs removed chopped
3 carrots, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch Italian parsley leaves, torn
1 –inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 small or 1 large banana peppers, seeds removed, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
Generous grinds of black pepper to taste
½ Tablespoon hot sauce (I like Crystal)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Place all the chopped vegetables in large Dutch oven. Add a splash of water, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables are mushy, 30 – 40 minutes. Stir occasionally, breaking up the vegetables with the back of a spoon. When everything is mushy, leave to cool for a few minutes.
Working in batches, carefully puree the vegetables in a blender. Fill the blender half full, vent the top and hold it tight covered with a tea towel. When each batch is done, press it through a fine sieve, extracting as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp left behind. If you have a food mill, this is a great time to use it. Return all the extracted liquid to the pot. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Bring the mix to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.
You can now cool the mix, pour it into a pitcher, chill it and use it right away, or can it in quart jars for long term storage. You can also cool it, pour it into ziptop freezer bags or freezer jars and freeze it for up to six months.
Process the jars for 40 minutes in a boiling water bath. If you have a bit of extra mix, pour it into a refrigerator container and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Makes 2 quarts (plus a little extra)
To make a Bloody Mary, fill a tall glass with ice, add 2 ounces vodka (or as much as you like) and top with Bloody Mary Mix and stir. If the mix is thick, add a bit of water to thin it out.