My mother used to torture me with this when I was a kid. I didn’t hate the aspic, just the celery. Now that I’m a grownup, I can make it the way I like it — with some other crunchy vegetable standing in for the celery. I often substitute diced water chestnuts, jicama, or kohlrabi for raw celery.
2 envelopes plain gelatin
1-1/2 C water
3 T sugar
3 T lemon juice
1 T vinegar
1 t salt
1 t grated onion
2/3 C ripe olives
2 C cleaned, cooked shrimp
3 T diced pimiento
2/3 C mayonnaise
3 T catsup
2 C finely chopped celery
2 T chopped sweet pickle
Soften gelatin in 1/2 C water. Heat remaining cup of water and dissolve gelatin in it. Blend in sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and onion. Cool. Meanwhile, slice olives, reserving a few large wedges for the bottom of the mold. Arrange a few whole shrimp, olive wedges, and bits of pimiento in a pattern at the bottom of an 8-inch ring mold. Cover with a few spoonfuls of gelatin mixture. Chill until set. Coarsely chop remaining shrimp. Cook remaining gelatin until slightly thickened. Blend with mayonnaise, catsup, shrimp, celery, pickle, rest of olives, and pimiento, and spoon over the clear layer. Chill until firm. Unmold and fill center with salad greens. Serves 8 to 10.