The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook by Rick Rodgers Read Free Book Online

thickly sliced
1 small celery rib with leaves, coarsely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons diced (¼-inch) celery
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked cocktail (baby) shrimp
2 tablespoons seeded and (¼-inch) diced green bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
Salt
Hot red pepper sauce
Vegetable oil, for the ring mold
Salad greens, for serving
1. Pour 1 cup of the tomato juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and let stand while heating the tomato juice, stirring the mixture a few times so the gelatin is completely moistened.
2. Combine the remaining 3 cups tomato juice with the onion, the coarsely chopped celery rib, and the bay leaf in a nonreactive medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low and heat at a bare simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the soaked gelatin mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides of the saucepan often, until the gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.
3. Strain the tomato juice mixture through a wire sieve into a heatproof medium bowl. Discard the solids in the sieve. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of icy water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the tomato juice mixture is cool and thickened to the consistency of very soft pudding, about 30 minutes. (You can skip the icywater and simply refrigerate the tomato juice in its bowl until partially set, but it will take about 1½ hours.) Fold in the shrimp, diced celery and green pepper, and olives. Season with the salt and hot red pepper sauce.
4. Pour into a lightly oiled 6-cup ring mold. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. To unmold, run a dinner knife around the inside of the mold. Dip the mold in a large bowl or sink of warm water for 5 seconds. Dry the outside of the mold with a kitchen towel. Invert onto a serving platter. Hold the mold and platter together and give them a sharp shake or two to unmold the salad onto the platter. Slice and serve chilled on a bed of salad greens.
Watch It Wiggle

Now known mainly as a fruity dessert medium, gelatin began as a carnivore’s friend. In the days before refrigeration, as far back as the Middle Ages, gelatin was used to help preserve cooked meat as it provided a barrier to air and bacteria. Originally gelatin took the form of an unflavored jelly that was spread over food, but in the eighteenth century, it was refined to the consistency we know today. Instead of just a coating, gelatin became a main ingredient as cooks experimented with color, flavor, and clarity. Savory food suspended in gelatin became known as aspic, possibly after the Greek word for “shield,” aspis . When powdered Knox gelatin became common in the late nineteenth century, aspics became the last word in stylish dining.
This trend was still in full-force in the Sixties, and every serious cook’s kitchen sported a gelatin mold, often made of copper and proudly displayed from a nail on the kitchen walls. Limited only by the imagination, aspics became culinary showcases of color and creativity.

ICEBERG LETTUCE WEDGE WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING AND BACON
    MAKES 4 SERVINGS
    An iceberg wedge is sturdy, to say the least, and is best when served with a full-bodied dressing that cling to its curves, like this homemade blue cheese. When you are feeling flush, use a fine imported blue cheese; otherwise, Danish blue is just fine. Don’t feel like blue cheese dressing? We’ve added our favorite salad dressings as options, all perfect for smothering an iceberg chunk.
BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
⅔ cup mayonnaise
⅔ cup sour cream
½ cup buttermilk
6 ounces (1¼ cups) crumbled blue cheese, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Danish blue
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices bacon
1 head iceberg lettuce, quartered lengthwise into wedges, rinsed well, and patted dry
1. To make the dressing, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk together in a medium bowl. Add the blue cheese and