Tomato Salad That Jiggles

You’d be lucky to find a box of unflavored gelatin in anyone’s kitchen these days. Most young home cooks have never enjoyed quivering, chilly summer aspic salads. They are quite wonderful on warm summer days served with cold cooked shrimp on the side, or any cold cooked fish for that matter. I served one for lunch the other day with deviled hard-boiled eggs and warm buttered whole wheat bread.

As far as the preparations for putting aspic salad together, it could be considered “fast food,” but it does take several hours after making it to have it chill and become firm. It must be made several hours in advance. Jelled salads and desserts have become declasse, and probably some of them should have disappeared, but we’ve thrown out the very good along with the bad. Try this and see what I mean.

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Tomato Aspic

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus 2 hours chilling time

2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 cup chilled tomato juice

1 to 2 stalks celery

3 cups tomato juice

1 small onion, minced (about 1 cup)

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste

* Sprinkle gelatin into chilled juice and stir several seconds. Set aside.

* Cut celery lengthwise in 1/8-inch-thick strips lengthwise. Holding strips together, cut strips in 3-inch long pieces. Hold each bundle of strips together and cut into tiny pieces crosswise. You need at least 1 cup.

* Combine 3 cups tomato juice, celery, onion, bay leaf, sugar and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in tomato juice with dissolved gelatin. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until tomato juice is hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t let it boil; gelatin will break down.

* Pour into 8x4-inch glass loaf pan. (You can use any bowl or dish that will accommodate 1 1/2 quarts.) Let mixture cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours until you are ready to serve.

* To turn aspic out of loaf pan or bowl, put container in hot water several seconds. This will soften outer surface and allow you to easily slide aspic onto platter. Slice and serve atop leaves of butter lettuce. Keep what you don’t use refrigerated.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings: 28 calories; 210 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.42 gram fiber.