Macaroni Salad

I was excited when I came across Emeril's recipe for Macaroni salad, because I'm eager to find alternatives to the pickle/onion/Miracle Whip concoction I usually make. Although it is delicious in it's own way, it doesn't seem very nutritious.

Because I love vegetables, I can't resist giveaways from other people's gardens. I love the variety of colors here. So of course I had to add them to my newest pasta salad. (Except for the short red one, which I determined to be a jalapeno.)

Also, I'm not big on prosciutto, so from the beginning I planned to use bacon, which the hubby always keeps on hand. I took a suggestion to use basil instead of parsley, and I ran out of olive oil, but I thought it turned out great! I agree that the creamy texture of the melted goat cheese is a great substitute for mayonnaise. This is what I ended up using:

New Mac Salad

1 lb elbow macaroni
2 oz bacon, cut into strips
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 small assorted peppers, chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 Tbsp capers
1/4 chopped fresh basil

Fry bacon in a small pan. Heat water to boil the macaroni.

Mix the garlic, vinegar, and Dijon in a small bowl. Add the oil in a stream while whisking the vinegar mixture. Chop all the vegetables and add to a big bowl with the crumbled cheese, olives, basil and capers. Add the dressing and toss.

Cook the macaroni as instructed on the package. Cook until al dente. Drain and immediately toss in with the vegetables and toss until the goat cheese has coated the noodles. Watch out for lumps of goat cheese with vegetables or garlic, and separate those.

Add the bacon, then salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! The crunchy and salty elements of the salad are quite enjoyable.

(I'd say that this salad is very good, but could use a few more tomatos and more basil. Or serve it over butter lettuce. The veggie to macaroni ratio was a little off. Also, the shallot would have been milder and better in this case than garlic.)

A funny thing happened after I made the salad. I sat down and ate a bowl with my daughter, and then she asked if she could have some bacon. I forgot to add the bacon! Of course, it was better with bacon, but not too bad without it.


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Emeril's Macaroni Salad

1 lb elbow macaroni
2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pitted Cerignola olives (or your favoriteolives), chopped
2 Tbsp capers
1/4 chopped fresh parsley

Directions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni until al dente. In a small skillet, cook prosciutto over medium until crisp; discard fat.

Combine shallot, vinegar, and mustard in a large bowl; whisk in oil in a slow, steady stream. Add tomato, cheese, prosciutto, olives, and capers.

Drain pasta; add to bowl with tomato mixture, and toss. Add parsley; season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature, and serve.

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Macaroni Salad (Old recipe)

1 lb package of elbow macaroni
1 cup onion, choppped
1 cup pickles chopped
2 Tbsp Miracle Whip
2 pinches sugar
splash of milk

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and cool.

Add to a bowl with chopped pickles and onions, to taste. Mix the Miracle Whip, sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Add to the macaroni mixture and toss.

Add salt and pepper to taste.