Bloody Mary Ice Lollies Use Tomatoes in the Best Way Possible

More than half of the food the average Trinbagonian eats is imported. This should come as no surprise since our twin isle’s annual food import bill is approximately $6 billion. By purchasing local, you funnel money back into our community and support its growth and sustainability for future generations. Our weekly column “In Season” features a sweet and savoury recipe for one readily-available ingredient, so you can take advantage of the vibrant bounty from farmers’ markets, local farm stands, and your own yard.

In Trinidad, tomatoes are found growing in most people’s yards, coming in many different sizes, shapes and colours. It holds a special place in our cuisine as we’re famous for throwing ripe tomatoes into stews, sandwiches and salads. This week, we could have stuck to the basics and given you our homemade tomato choka recipe, but you already know how to make that (and we bet your mom’s secret recipe can’t be beat). So, here’s a completely new and out-of-the-box idea to switch things up.

BLOODY MARY ICE LOLLIES

Imagine all the classic flavours of a Bloody Mary combined in a boozy ice lolly. Yes, horseradish, black pepper, Worcestershire and hot sauce are all here. But, we’ve also added pickle juice to the mix because that’s the secret behind every good Bloody Mary. (If you don’t have, olive juice will work well, too!) Both the pickle and lemon juices help to thin out the thick tomato juice and deliver that perfect pop consistency. Feel free to make these ice pops with or without alcohol. Because alcohol does not freeze, some of these ice lollies will not get completely frozen. They’ll all freeze a bit different; the more alcohol in them, the less hard they’ll be. Turn your freezer up high and wait for them to set.

Yields: 12 Popsicles

Cook Time: 8 hrs 10 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon pickle juice
• 2 teaspoons pepper sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Process the tomatoes and garlic in a blender until completely puréed. 
2. Using a sieve, separate the liquid from the pulp. Don’t discard the pulp. You can use it for various recipes in place of vegetable stock. 
3. Add all remaining ingredients to the tomato juice and mix well. 
4. Pour the Bloody Mary mix that you just made into a popsicle mould, filling each about three-quarters of the way and then insert a wooden stick. 
5. Place the Bloody Mary ice lollies in the freezer and allow freezing overnight, or 8 hours.