August, 2008

  1. Tomato Surprise

    August 6, 2008 by Tarrant Figlio

    I have to confess something…if I use the word surprise to describe any recipe…my children automatically beg to eat out or are suddenly struck by stomach aches. Why? I have no idea.

    Allergy to the word surprise? Who knows. I, however, love a little surprise in my dinner.

    This recipe seems like it will do the trick. Will renaming it coax children to eat it? Or will it suffer the fate of the Asparagus Jell-0?

    From Joys of Jell-0, early 1960s I think by the look of it.
    Note the fabulous economy of using the can from the tomatoes for the mold. Imagine the surprise the kids will have when I unmold a Jell-0 salad from a pineapple can!!!! They like pineapple! and tomatoes! and Jell-0! How could I go wrong?

    Ok…so maybe they are not so keen on the surprise or the three combined.

    Tomato Surprise

    A can of flavorful stewed tomatoes becomes a tempting mold

    1 can stewed tomatoes
    1 3 oz package Jell-o lemon, strawberry or mixed fruit gelatin
    1/2 teaspoon of salt
    1 tablespoon vinegar

    Pour tomatoes into saucepan, saving can to use as mold. Bring tomatoes to a boil, add Jell-o and salt, stirring until dissolved. Add vinegar. Pour into can. Chill until firm. To unmold, puncture bottom of can before dipping into warm water. Serve with mayonnaise, if desired. Makes about 2 cups, or 4 side salads, OR 6 relish servings.

    If you increase the vinegar to 1 1/2 tablespoons and add a can of drained crushed pineapple, and a smidge of allspice, you can make Tomato Pineapple Surprise. You need to use both your tomato can and your pineapple can for molds in that case.

    Category Recipes, retro food, Salads, Vegetables | Tags: , | 3 Comments

  2. Retro Gourmet

    August 5, 2008 by Tarrant Figlio

    My memories of Gourmet magazine come from…9th grade Home Ec. We had an assignment where we went through old Gourmet magazines and found a recipe to try at home. Tonight…look at what I discovered… Food Flashes…retro Gourmet Magazine columns.

    Category retro food | Tags: | 3 Comments

  3. Curried Fake Chicken Salad

    August 4, 2008 by Tarrant Figlio

    This recipe is for Mochamomma. You see, she expressed a certain fondness on Twitter the other day for Curried Chicken Salad. I had to point out that I make a great curried chicken salad…without the chicken.

    I in the beginning used the Yves unbreaded chickn patties for this vegetarian variation on my mother’s curried chicken salad. Then I moved to using tofu…experimented a bit with chicken flavored seitan. Denise loves any version and tofu is easier to get. I am particularly fond of using the Marjon brand of firm tofu but I haven’t found it here since we moved.

    The recipe is rough because, well, I do it out of my head. It is based on the Bird of Paradise salad in Joy of Cooking.

    Take one block of well-drained tofu or chicken substitute of your choice (or chicken…about 2-3 cups). Dice it up. Add one chopped apple. I use granny smith usually. You can also halve 1/2 to 1 cup of grapes to add in. (a mixture of green and red is nice). If you are into some crunch, chop a stalk of celery and throw in.  Stir it together. Throw some curry powder and salt on top. 1-2 teaspoons curry powder. 1 tsp salt or salt to taste. Add JUST enough mayo for it all to stick together. At this point, it is best to throw it in the fridge for a couple hours, overnight or however long you can wait.  Just before serving, stir in about a cup of cashews.

    This is way easy. Fabulous served with French bread or the bread of your choice.

    Category Recipes, retro food, Salads | Tags: , | 3 Comments

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