Since last spring, this has become my family's standard for all Macaroni salads, the only one they want. It was printed in the Boston Globe May 2009 and is from St Alphonzo's Kitchen, a small restaurant in the South End of Boston. GRANDMA SIS'S MACARONI SALAD - serves 8 INGREDIENTS I pound box of elbow macaroni 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1/2 tsp salt or to taste 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 small green bell pepper, seeded cored and cut into thin strips or chopped 1/2 red onion coarsely chopped 1 large ribs of celery, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 1 jar (6-8 ounces) cocktail olives with pimiento, drained and chopped In large pot with boiling water cook the macaroni for 6-8 minutes or until it is tender but still has some bite. Drain the macaroni into a colander and shake to remove excess moisture. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add the vetable oil Sire well and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, whick the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir the mixture into the pasta until it is coated all over. Add the bell pepper, red onion, celery and olives. Toss gently buth thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving. Personally, I found that there was enough salty taste and seasoning without adding any of the additional salt to the recipe. Fran

This is one of my favorites: Shrimp & Snap Pea Salad with Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette Serves 4 as a main course 1-1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 32-36 per pound) 2 cups snap peas (about 1/2 pound, trimmed) 3 green onions, trimmed and minced Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons white vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon honey (my "tweak") 3 - 5 dashes hot sauce Garnishes 1/2 cup diced mango 1/2 cup chopped roasted cashews lime wedges Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shrimp and cook 3 - 4 minutes, until they turn pink. Drain, run under cold water, peel and devein. Meanwhile, bring another pot of salted water to a boil, drop in snap peas and boil, uncovered, 2 - 3 minutes, until just tender and still bright green. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking. To make vinaigrette: Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, ginger, honey, and hot sauce in a small bowl until well-combined. Put shrimp, snap peas, and green onions in a large bowl, add vinaigrette, and toss well. Divide the mixture among 4 plates and garnish each serving with the diced mango, chopped nuts, and lime wedges. Source: The Beach House Cookbook, copyright 2005 Lori Here is a link that might be useful: Showing newest posts for query salad. Show older posts Saturday, June 11, 2011 Rigatoni with Broccoli, Garlic & Breadcrumbs Whenever I visit New York City with my friends and family, we often visit our favorite Italian restaurant there - Carmine's. The mid-town Manhattan location is always busy, especially with the many Broadway patrons before and after shows. I've even had the opportunity to bump into some of Broadway's biggest stars (I once saw Patty Lupone!) The food is always wonderful and plentiful, just like most Italian homes, whether it's one of their wonderful salads, hot or cold appetizers, delicious meat dishes, or, of course, the many pasta dishes they offer. One of my daughter's favorites is their Rigatoni with Broccoli, Garlic & Olive Oil which comes sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs and grated Parmegiana-Reggiano. It's a delicious non-meat entree that will satisfy even the dedicated carnivores at your dinner table. Rigatoni with Broccoli, Garlic & Breadcrumbs Serves 4 3/4 to 1 pound broccoli florets 1 pound rigatoni 5 tablespoons olive oil 1⁄3 cup dried breadcrumbs 4 - 6 cloves thinly sliced garlic 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1⁄2 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.Add the broccoli and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Set aside. Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta.While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over low heat. Add the bread crumbs, stirring, until the crumbs are toasted a golden brown. Remove the breadcrumbs to a small bowl and set aside. Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes.Cook until fragrant, then stir in the broccoli. Stir to coat with the oil as the broccoli reheats, and taste for seasoning. If pasta is not yet done, keep the heat low to avoid burning the broccoli. Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the broccoli mixture.Cook over high heat for a minute or so to evaporate any water from the pasta, then stir in the bread crumbs and cheese and serve immediately. You might also like: Shrimp Tacos Gnocchi with Sage Butter Coconut Muffins LinkWithin Posted by Lori (All That Splatters) at 7:41 PM 7 comments Links to this post Labels: Pasta, Vegetables Saturday, May 21, 2011 Garlicky Chicken in Red Pepper Sauce This is another recipe I received in an email from Fine Cooking in their

After seeing this thread the other day, I decided to give Ree's macaroni salad a try. DH won't eat a macaroni/pasta salad that isn't mayonnaise based, so I'm a bit limited there. I made several substitutions and additions, because I didn't want to go shopping and used what I had in the pantry. And DH insisted on having peas and boiled eggs in it. Those are his "musts" for macaroni salad. We both loved the result. Obviously, I didn't have that specific pickle; instead, I used sweet pickle relish and some juice from escabeche I canned last summer. How's that for spicy? DH was also concerned that it didn't have mustard in it. He kept trying to get me to put ingredients in it that I used in my regular go to salad. I wanted different. The dressing Ree made accomplished that. He did suggest that I make it again and add shrimp to it. Sounds good to me. I rarely miss a Pioneer Woman episode, but must have missed that one. Thanks for guiding me to it.

Technically, ditalini is known as salad macaroni. And I have found NO pickles that are a good substitute for Wickles. This recipe is very different than any macaroni salad I've ever made and it was worth gathering and using the exact ingredients for the recipe. No Wickles anywhere near me, but easy enough to order online. I tried their jalapeno relish and some other offerings as well. All delicious. I also sometimes just make the dressing for Ree's salad and use it for coleslaw with a kick.