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Bloody Mary Tomatoes

ByCasey Barber Updated on

As much as I feel bad for the December birthday babies getting their big day overlooked year after year, I always have to throw a self-indulgent pity party for those of us who are chained to the stove straight from November through New Year’s Eve.

You would think the Pilgrims, Indians, Dear Lord Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, and the New Year’s Baby would have convened to discuss the complete inconvenience of having the nation’s two biggest food holidays so close to one another, and vote to spread the love a little bit.

But they didn’t, and so we’ve become accustomed to shoving sheets of gingerbread cookies into the oven as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey vacates the premises, to cleaning up the hot mulled cider mugs so we can make room for Champagne flutes.

It’s enough to make even the most dedicated party host rebel and order up a plate of pre-steamed shrimp cocktail from the local mega-mart.

Let’s not go to the shrimp cocktail well, please? Instead, why don’t we all take a breath and try a no-cook appetizer that’s a little more fun.

If you can’t even bother to turn on a toaster oven to brown your baguette slices, hey, don’t worry about it. There’s no law saying hors d’oeuvres aren’t just as good with crackers.

I also don’t feel like party appetizers should be confined to making a once-a-year appearance around the holidays, either. They can translate from festive cocktail hour to backyard barbecue just fine, and to be frank, this is the way I like to eat when I’m alone.

Bits and bobs on crackers, cheesy nibbles, and swipes of spreads alongside a glass of wine; it’s the Lorelai Gilmore diet, only with fewer boxes of takeout.

From a new version of the classic cheese-and-nut ball to spicy quick-marinated mushrooms to a crazy artichoke dip-guacamole mash-up, I love devising appetizer recipes. But hands down, my new favorites are Bloody Mary tomatoes.

It’s sort of an edible shot glass for my favorite brunch drink, dousing crunchy celery in vodka, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce before stuffing the soaked-up bits into fresh grape tomatoes.

Bloody Mary tomatoes are so good I have to share them with you now. If you’re serving these at a family party, just leave the vodka out of the recipe.

The same spicy, zesty flavors will still stick, but they’ll be safely booze-free for your younger guests. Whet your whistle with the following recipe!

bloody mary tomato appetizer

Bloody Mary Tomatoes

Yield: about 5 dozen bites
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Bloody Mary tomatoes stuffed with marinated celery and vodka are easy no-cook hors d'oeuvres. Serve these fun appetizers at a holiday party!

Ingredients

  • 4 celery stalks
  • 2 teaspoons vodka
  • 1 teaspoon horseradish
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes
  • 1 lime

Instructions

  1. Dice the celery stalks and mix with the vodka, horseradish, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined.
  2. Let sit at room temperature for an hour or in the refrigerator overnight to allow the flavors to marry.
  3. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds out of each half with your finger.
  4. Pour the celery into a mesh strainer to drain the excess liquid.
  5. Fill the hollowed-out tomatoes with small scoopfuls of the marinated celery.
  6. Zest the lime and sprinkle the zested peel over the tomatoes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 4Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.

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© Casey Barber | Good Food Stories LLC
Category: Appetizers & Snacks

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Casey Barber is the owner of Good Food Stories LLC, a creative production company specializing in food writing, recipe development, photography, and styling for digital and print media. She is the author of Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food and Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats as well as the co-writer of Inspired Bites: Unexpected Ideas for Entertaining from Pinch Food Design, and she couldn't get anything done without the help of her executive assistant cats, Bixby and Lenny.

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15 Comments

  2. History geeks such as myself would tell you that Baby Jesus was most likely born in the spring, as shepherds wouldn’t have been moving their flocks in December and the Indians really aren’t too keen on Thanksgiving, given their ancestors who shared with the Pilgrims opened them up to hundreds of years of war and near-annihilation, so really, our huge food holidays *should* be spread out! :) That withstanding, these look absolutely amazing and I plan on making them for a Christmas party I’m attending on Thursday! Thanks!

    1. I love this history lesson! I knew the Indians weren’t really gathering for the Thanksgiving feast, but that’s a really logical perspective on when Baby Jesus would have actually been born.

  4. How did you know? I can barely eek out firing up the stove for dinner this week, let alone think about cooking for guests next weekend. Can’t wait to give some of these recipes a spin!

  6. Bloody brilliant these are! And I can’t wait to check out the other fourteen.

    I have to say I LOVE celebrating Thanksgiving in October and having some space between the holidays. I don’t know who picked Canada’s holiday dates, but it works. =)

  8. Love Bloody Marys and this recipe Casey! What a great idea! I think I will try them out this weekend, with a Bloody Mary by my side…..

  11. Fabulous ideas. Can’t WAIT to try these tomatoes! I may not share them with any guests, though…

  12. Those sounds very tasty – and they’re adorable, to boot. If it wasn’t for my kitchenette-hubby, we’d all be on the Lorelai Gilmore diet around here. I could never figure out how she could afford to eat that way. She and Rory would go into Dooce’s Market and load their shopping cart full of not-cheap snacks and treats. Even when she started her own inn, she never seemed to be hurting (too much) for money. Well, I guess Luke did loan her that $30K. Ok, I’m way off track here.

    1. @Jane – And I bet that Dooce’s was totally overpriced too! Taylor would so mark things up. BUT she probably ate a lot of free meals at Luke’s – I bet he gave her so many free pancakes over the years. Also, Lorelai and Rory DID eat one full meal a week with Emily and Richard, right? So we know they weren’t completely subsisting on junk food. I think I need to write a post on Gilmore food in 2012…

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