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Tomato Aspic

A gelatinous tomato spread made with tomatoes, Knox gelatin, nuts, celery, onion, salt, vinegar, and water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Hamilton, Ohio. First Methodist Episcopal church. [from old catalog] · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,377 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Tomato Aspic

Ingredients

Directions

Make the aspic

  1. Combine 1 can tomatoes, 1 pint water, 1 large onion, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 dessert spoon mixed spices, and 1 cup chopped celery in a pot and bring to a boil. After boiling, strain the liquid.

  2. Dissolve 3 tablespoons Knox gelatin in 1 ½ pint water. Stir the gelatin mixture into the strained tomato liquid, adding a little vinegar and a little sugar to taste. Dissolve the little red tablet that comes with the Knox gelatin and add it for color.

  3. When the mixture begins to set, stir in 1 cup chopped celery and 1 cup chopped nuts.

Mold and serve

  1. Mold the aspic, turn it out onto a lettuce leaf, and serve with mayonnaise.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

75Calories
3 gProtein
0 gFat
16 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Nutsnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Hamilton, Ohio. First Methodist Episcopal church. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,377 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,226 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

  5. Tomato + vinegartop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,063 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Knox gelatin
Sets the tomato liquid into a firm, sliceable aspic that holds its molded shape.
Tomatoes
Provide the main body, acidity and flavor of the aspic.
Celery
Adds crisp texture and a fresh, vegetal note to the set aspic.
Nuts
Add crunch and texture contrast within the set gel.

The step that matters

Stirring in celery and nuts at the right moment. Add them only when the mixture begins to set. If it is too liquid, the pieces sink to the bottom; if it is already firm, they will not distribute evenly through the gel.

Swap the nuts

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, celery, onion, vinegar):

  1. Beansfits better
  2. Black-eyed peafits better
  3. Chickpeafits better
  4. Nutsthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, celery, onion, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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