What to do with the pile of beautiful zebra tomatoes on a sweltering afternoon? Make a fresh Bloody Mary:

Purée quartered ripe tomatoes in a food processor with a dab of sun-dried tomato paste, a squeeze of lemon, a hearty pinch of sea salt, and—this is optional—a few pitted Kalamata olives and the tiniest bit of anchovy paste;

Pour an ounce or so of iced vodka in a glass, add ice cubes, pour the tomato mixture over and garnish with celery and a tomato wedge, cracking pepper over the top (add regional variations as compelled).

Rather than salt, the tomato flavor comes through in this lighter version of my fruity drink of choice.

I like to simmer the remaining tomato mix and serve it under crab crakes (add a little vodka to the pan as it cooks).

Note: If you are relying on the drink for its restorative lycopene, you will want to simmer the tomatoes for ten minutes before puréeing.