The Starving Musician Recipes
Ruth's Macaroni Salad
Recipe by Ruth Eileen Arwood [nee Hundley]
My grandmother made this every time we visited her in Florida, and she
always used seashell-shaped macaroni. We've tried it with other shapes of
pasta, but we always come back to shell macaroni because the shell shape
traps the ingredients, giving the macaroni salad great flavor and texture.
Makes 6 large servings
1 16-oz package "Medium Shells" macaroni (Creamette), or 1 12oz-to-16oz pkg
"Large Shell" Macaroni (some other brands). (Despite the names, both these
pastas are actually the same size, as it varies from brand to brand. You're
looking for pasta that's about the size of a grape when cooked...Not jumbo
shells that you stuff. Sometimes I use shell-shaped whole wheat pasta, which
is healthier and more filling.)
2 hard boiled eggs (you can save time by boiling them with the
macaroni--start the eggs in cold water, and when water boils, add the
macaroni)
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped mild onion such as Vidalia
1/4 cup Heinz sweet pickle relish (stir before adding; part of the key to
this is a good mix of relish and pickle juice)
1/2 cup Best Foods or Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise (you can use Best Foods or
Hellmann's low-fat, but fat-free won't taste right)
1 hearty dash of Worcestershire sauce (about 1/8 teaspoon)
2 Tablespoons Wishbone Deluxe French salad dressing (the neon orange stuff
that's creamy and about the color of Cheetos; not Catalina or vinegar and
oil-style French. It looks a little scary, but it's the key ingredient. I
would not steer you wrong on this.)
dash of salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1/2 diced ripe tomatoes (a large, ripe Beefsteak tomato is what my mom and
grandmother used, but ripe plum tomatoes work great, too. If those options
aren't at the peak of the season, cherry tomatoes cut in halves or quarters
work well too.)
Following package directions for al dente, boil the macaroni in salted
water; drain thoroughly. Set aside in large mixing bowl.
Finely chop hard boiled eggs, green bell pepper, celery, and onions. Add to
macaroni, mixing well but carefully to avoid tearing the pasta. Add sweet
pickle relish, mayonnaise, Deluxe French, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and
pepper, and mix well again. Add chopped tomatoes; mix, then chill at least 2
hours. Taste before serving; some brands of pasta really absorb the mayo and
French dressing. If that's the case, just add a Tablespoon or two of mayo, a
teaspoon or two of French dressing, and a few drops of Worcestershire.
Creative variation: Mix in some cooked chicken cut into large
chunks, or cooked bay shrimp or crab. (You may need to add a little extra
mayo, French dressing, Worcestershire, salt and pepper.) This makes a great
lunch.
Tip: After making the pasta salad and tasting it after chilling,
transfer it to a 1-gallon size Ziploc®
freezer bag. It fits perfectly, and will even fit in a tour bus fridge.
Recipes ©2004
Randi Reed
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