Conference turris::cooks

As requested off-line, I am contributing the following tomato aspic
recipes from the FANNY FARMER COOKBOOK.  A nice garnish for any of
these recipes is to drop a dollop of Ranch salad dressing on each
serving (serve on a bed of bright green lettuce leaves - of course).

			TOMATO ASPIC

2 envelopes gelatin			1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
4 cups (1 L) tomato juice		1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 onion sliced thin			4 whole cloves
4 tablespoons chopped celery leaves	4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 and 1/2 teaspoons sugar

sprinkle gelatin in a small bowl, add 1/3 cup water, stir and let
stand.  Combine the juice, onion, celery leaves, sugar, salt, pepper,
and cloves in a pot.  Bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer.
Simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat, strain, stir in the
softened gelatin, and stir for 2 minutes until gelatin is dissolved.
Add the lemon juice, stir, pour into 1 quart mold, chill until set.



		TOMATO ASPIC WITH VEGETABLES

1 pound, 12 ounce (800 g) can		1/3 cup (3/4 dL) beef bouillon
    tomatoes				1 and 1/2 cups (3 and 1/2 dL)
1/2 teaspoon sugar			    diced raw veggies such as
1 onion sliced thin			    zucchini, celery, sweet
2 bay leaves				    red and green peppers, and
6 fresh leaves fresh basil		    seeded, cucumber
    (or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil)	parsley sprigs
1 envelopes gelatin			1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Black olives				1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

simmer tomatoes, sugar, onion, bay leaves, basil, salt, pepper for
15 minutes.  Soak the gelatin in cold bouillon plus 2 tablespoons of
water.  Strain the tomatoes (save the pulp for a sauce or soup).  Mix
the gelatin into the hot liquid until dissolved.  Fill bottom 1/2 inch
of a 1 quart mold with liquid, chill until just set (a little tacky to
the touch).  While the mold is chilling, place the rest of the liquid
in the refrigerator and chill until the texture of egg whites.  Stir
in the vegetables, pour into the mold and chill until thoroughly set.
When unmolded, decorate with parsley and olives.



			FRESH TOMATO ASPIC

2 pounds (900 g) or about		Salt (to taste)
    1 and 1/4 L (5 cups)		Up to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
    fresh diced tomatoes		1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
1 envelope gelatin
1 teaspoon grated onion
1/4 cup (1/2 dL) minced celery
    and leaves

Boil the tomatoes with 3/4 cup water over medium heat, stirring often,
for 15 minutes.  Dissolve gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water.  Put the
tomatoes through a vegetable mill or strainer, then return the puree to
pan and add onion and celery.  Add salt to taste (up to 1 teaspoon) and
sugar and lemon juice if needed.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring briskly.
Remove from the fire and add gelatin, stirring until dissolved.  Turn
into 1 quart ring mold and chill until firm.

if you want beef aspic, then making it from scratch is a long drawn-out
process.  An overview is:

	1) brown veal and beef soup bones in the oven under the broiler
	   until nice and dark brown.  Cool a little.

	2) place in large soup pot with 1 or 2 onions, 1 or 2 bay leaves,
	   some whole pepper corns, some chunks of carrot, celery, and
	   cold water to cover.  Simmer for hours until a rich broth
	   is created.

	3) strain through double thickness of cheesecloth into a smaller
	   pot.  Immediately stir in an egg white...strain through
	   cheese cloth again.  salt to taste.

	4) chill well.  if you had enough of the right kind of bones,
	   it may be jelled all by itself.  if not, measure.  Heat over
	   medium heat, adding 1 packet of knox unflavored gelatin for
	   each two cups of broth.  stir over heat until completely
	   mixed and gelatin is dissolved.  remove from heat and then
	   chill until the consistency of unbeaten egg white.  check
	   often until it coats a spoon well.  Now you have aspic
	   ready to use.  or you can buy canned aspic which you heat
	   then chill to the desired texture and use.

		use the aspic to "seal" food on a cold food platter.
		looks very "jewel" like and tastes nice.

tomato aspic is made both from fresh tomatoes, and lots of work, or
from tomato juice and less work.

	1) heat tomato juice with 2 tablespoons fresh celery leaves,
	   some peppercorns (to taste), a bay leaf, and other herbs
	   you may like...dried/fresh basil perhaps?  Simmer for
	   approx. 20 minutes.

	2) strain thru double layer of cheesecloth.  For every two
	   cups juice, add 1 packet gelatin powder, stir well and
	   heat over medium heat until all is mixed and gelatin is
	   dissolved.  chill to texture of unbeaten egg white.

	3) stir in sliced, drained olives, or paper-thin celery slices.
	   pour into pretty mold and chill well until firm.

	4) unmold and serve over lettuce and garnish with fresh,
	   homemade mayonaise.

	   or buy in the can, heat, chill to egg white consistency,
	   stir in the garnish, mold and chill until firm.

    RE:  1
    
    I have a good recipe for Shrimp in Tomatoe Aspic but I haven't made it 
    in years because I can no longer find tomatoe aspic in a can.
    
    I live in Central Massachusetts - do you happen to know where I could
    buy some?
    
    Thanks
    
    

    I've never heard of being able to buy tomato aspic in a can, but this
    is a recipe my Grandmother gave me and I think it's good.  I'm going by
    memory here..... I'll check my recipe this week-end to make sure it's
    correct.
    
    1 can tomato soup
    3 oz cream cheese
    1 envelope7 unflavored gelatin
    1/4 cup cold water
    1/2 cup Miracle Whip*
    1 cup chopped onion
    1 cup chopped celery
    1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
    
    
    Heat soup and cream cheese over low heat until blended.  I use a wire 
    whip to get it totally blended.  Remove from heat.  Add gelatin to cold
    water and let it dissolve.... add to soup mixture.  Let it cool down a 
    little bit then add the Miracle Whip, blend well.  Let this mixture
    start to set before adding the vegetables.  At this point you can add a
    dash of hot sauce or other seasonings if you like.
    
    Rinse your mold in cold water before adding the aspic mixture.  I like
    to use individual molds.  Refrigerate until set.  To remove the aspic, 
    dip the mold in hot water for a few seconds and run a knife around 
    the edges.
    
    * The recipe calls for Miracle Whip.  It doesen't taste the same if you
      substitute mayo, and I like mayo better on sandwiches, etc.
    
      1 cup each of the onion, celery and pepper may be too much for some
      people, and I tend to cut back because it overpowers the tomato
      flavor.
    
    
    I hope you like......
    
            Tracey

    
    It's always congealed for me as well fwiw.
    
    Lv

this is an indication that you have cooked the bones long enough to get the
good stuff out of them.  It is a healthy soup.  If your soup doesn't congeal,
you simply cooked is less time, or used many fewer bone

    Mine usually congeal but it depends on the fluid density too.  If I
    reduce the fluid volume a bit, it will congeal but if I have nearly
    the original volume of liquid, it often will not congeal.  I then
    reduce it because that is recommended.
    
    ed

    Now you know where Jello comes from! (:
    
    L-

    re:  .42
    
    I never knew Jell-o had bones in it.
    
    ;^)
    
    Steve

    I think most commercial gelatin is made starting from beef bones.  But
    there are also some seaweeds that are used (to make agar-agar).  So
    don't panic if you are a vegetarian.  I've never actually used
    agar-agar to make liquid gel (except in biology lab, years ago) but the
    stuff is available in Chinese grocery stores.  And it may be what is in
    vegetarian gelatin.  I have some non-Americanized Chinese cookbooks
    that have recipes for agar-agar gelatins in them, but I have always
    made the "updated" versions, which use unflavored gelatin instead (or
    simply jell meat cooking liquid).
    
    /Charlotte

    CARAGEENAN is a product made from seaweed and used in products to keep
    them jelled; e.g., gelatins, toothpaste... even the new lean hamburger
    being touted by a large burger chain!
    
    I've had aspic in the past-- a pork aspic with vinegar poured on top. 
    It was made by a great aunt who is Polish, so I think it might be
    familiar to certain cultures.
    
    Rgds,
    marcia

RE: .46

Carageenan is an emulsifier, not a jelling agent.  There are three main
jelling agents:

gelatin - a class of gelatinous proteins present in animal connective tissues
	(bones, ligaments, tendons, and the like).  An aspic is a soup with
	enough gelatin content to be solid.

pectin - a class of glycoproteins (I think) present in plant connective
	tissues.  This is what holds fruit jams and jellies together.

agar-agar - a jelling agent extracted from a particular species of seaweed.
	I think that biochemically it's related to the pectins.

--PSW