Kick-Ass Tomato Juice [View all]

[rdharma]

When tomatoes come in, they come in abundance...... and here's a way to use them.

Ingredients
3 pounds very ripe garden tomatoes, cored, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped celery with leaves (chopped fairly fine so they feed easily through food mill later)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tsp. sugar (this is a taste thing... I usually go with less)
1 teaspoon salt (once again a taste thing ...use less add later if needed)
Pinch black pepper
A couple shakes of Tabasco sauce, about 6-8 drops (or a chopped up jalapeno with seeds)

Optional Ingredients:

Fresh cilantro (to taste) I loves me some cilantro!
Spinach ......

Method

1 Saute/sweat onions, garlic, celery, and jalapeno (if used) in a large non-reactive pot coated with a bit of olive oil or olive oil spray (use stainless steel, not aluminum). Medium heat until the celery begins to soften a little.

2 Toss in tomatoes and adjust temperature to a simmer after tomatoes start to break down and liquefy. Cook uncovered, until mixture is completely soupy, about 25 minutes.

3 Force mixture through a sieve, chi noise, or food mill (I use an OXO food mill with medium blade). Cool completely.
Store covered and chilled. Will last for about 1 week in the refrigerator..... but I doubt it will remain that long after you've tasted it.

Experiment with the recipe and DO NOT THROW AWAY THE FIBROUS PRODUCT REMAINING IN YOUR FOOD MILL. Refrigerate or freeze and use with omelets, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.