Post by nana on Aug 21, 2022 18:43:22 GMT -5
I saw the name of this recipe and thought “Eeeewww.” It must have pineapple and coconut and raw fish or other weird stuff. But no, it is everything I want in a macaroni salad: basic and creamy and delightful. I’m not a fan of Italian type pasta salads, or fussy pasta salads with loads of extra ingredients. Give me a good plain mac salad that goes with everything and doesn’t try to put on airs. I actually think it’s more the technique than the recipe, but don’t try to gussie it up or mess with it too much. Just bask in its simplicity and goodness! Except for my parenthetical comments, this is exactly how I made it and it was fantastic and the recipe was requested by people who I consider pretty good cooks. So.
Dressing:
2 cups half and half
2 cups mayo
1/4 cup grated onion ( I neither measured nor grated. Too much trouble. I minced a smallish onion up as fine as I could)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside to chill until ready to use.
Salad:
1 lb macaroni (I’m a traditionalist. I used elbows, but you can go for a fancier shape if you want, I suppose.)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 carrots, grated
1/4 cup celery, finely diced ( I thought 1/4 cup was a ridiculously small amount for a pound of pasta. That’s just food trucks cutting corners. I finely diced two stalks of celery. No one complained.)
—Boil pasta in salted water until VERY soft, about 5 minutes past what it says on the package. Drain, then return to the pot, off heat, and add vinegar and toss and stir until liquid is absorbed.
—Cover pot and let it stand and cool about 20 minutes.
—Add half of the dressing, stir, and let it rest again for another 20 minutes or so.
—Add remaining dressing, carrots, and celery. Stir, adjust seasoning as needed. ( I found it didn’t need anything except maybe a bit more pepper, but that’s just me.) Chill at least two hours before serving.
We had just enough leftover to have with supper the next day, and it was just as creamy and good! I do not think I will ever make it any other way from now on!
Dressing:
2 cups half and half
2 cups mayo
1/4 cup grated onion ( I neither measured nor grated. Too much trouble. I minced a smallish onion up as fine as I could)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside to chill until ready to use.
Salad:
1 lb macaroni (I’m a traditionalist. I used elbows, but you can go for a fancier shape if you want, I suppose.)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 carrots, grated
1/4 cup celery, finely diced ( I thought 1/4 cup was a ridiculously small amount for a pound of pasta. That’s just food trucks cutting corners. I finely diced two stalks of celery. No one complained.)
—Boil pasta in salted water until VERY soft, about 5 minutes past what it says on the package. Drain, then return to the pot, off heat, and add vinegar and toss and stir until liquid is absorbed.
—Cover pot and let it stand and cool about 20 minutes.
—Add half of the dressing, stir, and let it rest again for another 20 minutes or so.
—Add remaining dressing, carrots, and celery. Stir, adjust seasoning as needed. ( I found it didn’t need anything except maybe a bit more pepper, but that’s just me.) Chill at least two hours before serving.
We had just enough leftover to have with supper the next day, and it was just as creamy and good! I do not think I will ever make it any other way from now on!