Those of us who don’t favor mayonnaise might never understand its attraction, even while appreciating the importance of classic American dishes that use it. Macaroni salad is one of them, appearing on picnic tables nationwide when we gather for outdoor meals. All too often, though, the combo of boiled elbows lost in mayo doesn’t even look appetizing, whether one likes mayo or not.
This beautiful macaroni salad is from a little restaurant in South Boston called St. Alphonzo’s Kitchen and you’ll find the recipe in today’s Boston Globe. Globe staffer Sheryl Julian writes, “This is what can happen when a rather ordinary dish has perfect proportions,” and she raves that it’s “dressed with a small amount of mayonnaise, which disappears into the elbows; then it’s garnished with chopped cocktail olives, celery, red onion, and bell pepper.”
St. Alphonzo’s co-owner Peter Irving also provided a slaw recipe to the Globe that he adapted from Fannie Flagg. It’s another eye-catching dish, a red slaw, that’s a blend of sweet and tart. Sounds perfect to me.
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I have had a love-hate relationship with pasta salads. Especially at potlucks! My solution has been to dress the vegetables or other add-ins separately. Then just before serving, add them to the oiled cool pasta.
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I like your solution. I must say, if something involves mayo it generally does not involve me and my idea of pasta “salad” is chilled shells with pesto, but I really like the looks of this macaroni salad. Perhaps before the summer is over….
Elbows. I have never heard it described as that – it’s a great description though.
I must admit a certain weekness of macaroni cheese however – i make a mean one with ham and tons of cheese. Mmmmm
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Hi there! It’s commonly called elbow macaroni here, even on the box. I’ve never thought about it, but you’re right, it is a perfect description.
Mac and cheese is always welcome on my plate and yours sounds wonderful. Now I’m hungry for some!
Pasta salads fit my need for the quick supper, particularly since they can be made ahead.
A couple of years ago I made two changes that added to my enjoyment – I began using fusilli pasta rather than elbows and I changed the dressing. Now, I use one of two bottled dressings – Brianna’s lemon tarragon or her cheddar chipotle. Both are free of corn syrup and multi-syllabic additives, and the taste of each is so distinctive that they complement the veggies beautifully.
Also, I’ve begun to use less pasta and more veggies, etc. Strangely, I’ve also discovered the salads present better and even taste better if I take the time to chop the veggies instead of just whacking them up. In the kitchen as in the classroom, apparently neatness counts!
As for mayo… well… I do remember the days when “salad” often was an iceberg lettuce wedge with a dollop of mayonnaise. Of course in those days, lime jello with cottage cheese and canned crushed pineapple was “salad”, too. Ah, the 50s…..
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I’ve never had many of those classic American pasta salads. They just weren’t part of our routine because we were not a family of mayo lovers. I’m not familiar with Brianna’s, but they sound very good indeed.
You’re right about presentation and making the veggies look good. We really do eat first with our eyes and when we have the time and energy to make food look as good as it can, it does pay off. People who just inhale food without even glancing at it seem like animals to me.