Cool & Creamy Macaroni Salad

[kirra]

Cool & Creamy Macaroni Salad

Don’t drain the macaroni too well before adding the other ingredients--a little extra moisture will keep the salad from drying out. If you’ve made the salad ahead of time, simply stir in a little warm water to loosen the texture.

Ingredients:

Table salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 small red onion , minced
1 rib celery , minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
Ground black pepper

Preparation:

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool, then drain briefly so that macaroni remains moist. Transfer to large bowl.

Stir in onion, celery, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne, and let sit until flavors are absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add mayonnaise and let sit until salad texture is no longer watery, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (The salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Check consistency and seasonings before serving.) Serves 8 to 10

Notes:
Cook the pasta until just tender--not all the way--and leave a little moisture on it. The pasta will absorb the water rather than the creamy dressing.
Add a fair amount of lemon juice to the salad to balance the richness of the mayonnaise.
This is one of the rare occasions in which we prefer garlic powder to fresh garlic because the flavor isn’t as sharp and the powder dissolves into the smooth dressing.
Make sure to thoroughly season the water in which the pasta is cooked; otherwise the pasta’s flavor will be bland. We recommend 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon of water.