Yesterday I posted my recipe for Muffaletta Sandwiches. I included this salad recipe at the bottom of the post because I feel macaroni salad is the perfect side dish to serve with this classic New Orleans sandwich. But then I got to thinking; I really should post this recipe separately because a really tasty pasta salad is a hard thing to find.

It has been my experience that pasta salads, in general, are boring. They tend to lack flavor, crunch, and eye appeal. And I must admit, the salad I served the other evening fit the category of “lacking eye appeal” because I didn’t have a red onion on hand. But sometimes, you simply must go with what’s in your veggie larder. So, I used green onions instead of red onion because green onions were happily residing in my veggie crisper, and the closest red onion was marking time at our neighborhood IGA. (See how that works!)

So, the eye appeal could have been better. But the flavor and crunch were there in spades. And I could have added some fresh tomato for color, but I didn’t. Or some chopped pimento, but I didn’t have any. So, I went with what I had.

That’s the beauty of playing mad scientist in the kitchen. You can mix and match and sometimes come up with a new and better “whatever”. Of course, you can also blow the whole dish to hell. But as in this case, the appealing color factor was the only thing missing.

So, if you too love a good pasta salad, let me recommend this recipe. Also, my recipes entitled Pasta Salad, Veggie Macaroni Salad, Shrimp and Macaroni Salad, and Tuna Macaroni Salad are easy to make and delicious.

And because I so appreciate all the wonderful cooks who post their fantastic recipes that benefit all of us, many thanks to the southernbite.com site for this recipe. Slightly modified by me, of course.

Well, that’s it for today. Mr. C. is rehearsing for a gig this afternoon and playing at a gig this evening. I usually go along, but there are just those times when I need to stay home and play in the kitchen. Mr. C. brought home some lovely ripe peaches a couple of days ago. And if I don’t use them in the next couple of days, they will turn themselves into peach puree. So, why not tempt the fates by creating a recipe for a “crumble topped peachy bourbon-pecan quick bread”? So, that’s exactly what I am going to do after I post this recipe. Wish me luck!

Peace and love to all.           

1 c. mayonnaise

1 T. yellow mustard

3 T. white vinegar (the old-fashioned kind)

1 tsp. granulated sugar  

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. granulated onion

½ c. finely chopped dill pickle

1 T. dill pickle juice

½ c. finely diced red onion* or green onion

½ c. finely diced celery (plus leaves)

3 c. uncooked small elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, drained and cooled by tap water

kosher salt, if needed

In a covered bowl, whisk the mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar, seasoned salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion together. Then stir in the chopped dill pickle and pickle juice. Set aside. 

Place the onion, celery, and cooked macaroni in a covered bowl. Add about 2/3rds of the dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate the pasta for at least 2 hours. (Refrigerate the remaining dressing too.)

When ready to serve, add remaining dressing and toss to coat. Taste and add kosher salt if needed.

*If you use diced red onion, before adding it to the rest of the ingredients, give it a bath for about 15 minutes in ice water. This will reduce the “bite” that is often associated with red onion. Be sure to drain and pat the diced onion dry with a paper towel before adding it to the salad.