Gazpacho Aspic

Gazpacho Aspic
2 envelopes plus 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 ¾ cups vegetable juice cocktail, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp lemon juice
¼ – ½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced
Lettuce leaves

Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1 cup vegetable juice cocktail in a saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Cook over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Add remaining vegetable juice, vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce; chill until the consistency of unbeaten egg white. Fold in celery and remaining ingredients except lettuce; pour into a lightly-oiled 5-cup mold. Cover and chill. Unmold onto lettuce leaves. Yield: 8 servings.

Original Recipe
from Southern Living 1989 Annual Recipes

1 (3 ounce) package of lemon-flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 ¾ cups vegetable juice cocktail, divided
½ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced
Lettuce leaves

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1 cup vegetable juice cocktail in a saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Cook over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Add remaining vegetable juice, lemon gelatin mixture, vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce; chill until the consistency of unbeaten egg white. Fold in celery and remaining ingredients except lettuce; pour into a lightly-oiled 5-cup mold. Cover and chill. Unmold onto lettuce leaves. Yield: 8 servings.

Comments: I had been eager to try an aspic for a while now, and this was worth the wait! It’s a spicy, flavorful complement to a steak dinner. A little serving on each plate was enough to bring a bright color, smooth texture, and the perfect amount of heat.

The amount of hot sauce can be easily adjusted to accommodate your guests. Some of my tasters are especially sensitive to spicy foods, and they thought that the aspic could be improved by halving the amount of hot sauce or removing it entirely. While the V8 does have some spice, I do think most that people will want to use at least 1/4 teaspoon of hot sauce to match the heat of the peppers used in gazpacho.

While modernizing this recipe, I made a major change: I removed the sugar and the vinegar. I’ve been thinking about the inclusion of an excessive amount of sugar in some of these vintage savory recipes and the acid from the vinegar that is introduced to balance it, and I’ve come to a conclusion: I don’t think either is necessary, healthy, or modern. The problem with the convenience of using flavored Jell-O is its additional calories and overly sweet taste. For many of these recipes, the use of Knox unflavored gelatin is as convenient and much more sophisticated.

This recipe, like many others, benefits from a few easy modernizing exclusions.