Ring-Around-The-Tuna
This is a recipe from the brilliant Joys of Jell-O cookbook, published in 1960’s America by the General Foods Corporation.
Let me just state here that I am in no way a fan of the congealed salad. In truth, the very idea horrifies me, but even I cannot deny that this has to be one of the most fabulous dishes one could ever possibly serve. What’s more, it is the easiest thing to make and has the power to inject a bit of joy into even the most lacklustre of social gatherings. And yes, whilst I would be unlikely to choose it as my death row meal, it actually tastes remarkably good!
Ingredients
1 x 3oz (85g) pack Jell-O, Lime or Lemon flavour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (236ml) boiling water
¾ cup (177ml) cold water
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons grated onion (or just whizz it in a food processor)
½ cup (75g) diced cucumber
½ (75g) cup diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped pimiento
1 x 145g can tuna, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons sliced, stuffed olives
Dissolve the sachet of Jell-O and the salt in boiling water. Then add the cold water, vinegar, and onion.
Chill the mixture until it is fairly thick (ie a spoon drawn through it leaves a definite impression). It is important you do this before adding the other ingredients or they will rise to the top and not be evenly distributed). Stir in the cucumber, celery, pimientos and tuna. Pour the mixture either into individual ring moulds or one larger mould. Then add the olives. It’s best to plant these in individually at the end so they do not fall apart and so you can arrange them evenly and artistically. Chill until firm. If desired, serve with some additional tuna and maybe a bit of lettuce and a mayonnaise dressing. Makes about 4 starter-sized portions. I needed to double up on ingredients to fill the 1400ml (approx 2.5 pints) mould you can see pictured.