With the heat of summer coming on strong, sometimes it’s nice to forget about nutrients and phytochemicals and flavanoids and just eat something cool and delicious for its own sake.
This week’s recipe for Hawaiian Macaroni Salad will transport your tastebuds to the islands. It was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She began sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic and it has since become a company tradition.
“May there always be trade winds behind you, rainbows above you, and Aloha all around you.”
– Kauai Blessing
Notes
Cooking the macaroni until soft enables the pasta to absorb more dressing. Make the salad at least 1 day and preferably 2–3 days in advance to give the flavors a chance to mature and become more complex.
Ingredients
- Dressing
- 2 cups whole milk (do not substitute low-fat milk; it will make the dressing too thin)
- 2 cups mayonnaise (do not substitute low-fat mayonnaise; it will make the dressing too thin)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Salad
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 Tbsp salt
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 4 scallions, sliced thin
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 celery rib, grated fine (finely chop instead for a bit more crunch)
Instructions
- Dressing
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Reserve and refrigerate 1 cup of dressing for finishing the salad.
- Salad
- Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook the macaroni until very soft (known as “fat”), about 15 minutes. Drain the macaroni, shaking it to remove excess water, before transferring to a large bowl. Add the vinegar and toss the pasta until absorbed. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Stir the larger portion of dressing into the pasta mixture until combined. Stir in scallions, carrot, and celery until combined. Cover and refrigerate the salad until fully chilled, about 1 hour, then stir in the reserved cup of dressing. Season with salt and pepper before serving.