Fall begins Monday, officially — but on Friday afternoon, I saw a woman sunbathing in the parking lot of CVS on Main Street in West Orange, reminiscent of Paulie Walnuts in front of Satriale's, so I think we can talk about picnic food.
Some dishes are so ubiquitous, you nearly forget you can make them yourself. Such is the case with macaroni salad, a deli-counter stand-by, available at nearly every supermarket, sold by the pound. When I saw my grandmother had a recipe for macaroni salad in her recipe book, I was a little surprised. “Don’t you just buy that at Shop Rite?” I asked her, thinking there was surely no way she was still making it herself. “No,” she said, “I always just made my own, especially for a barbecue or something.”
While surprising, this did explain why, when I had macaroni salad at family gatherings, I usually enjoyed it more. I hate when these kinds of “salads” (using this term very loosely) are cloyingly sweet — there is something about sweetness in savory dishes that I’m vehemently against, no matter how “delicious” said dish may be. (Looking at you, sweet potato casserole.)
You’ll find no sugar in my grandmother’s macaroni salad, besides from the chunks of diced, fresh carrots. The dressing is simply mayo and white vinegar — sometimes, she adds a bit of mustard for a little kick. There’s onion flakes in her dressing, no diced onions in the salad itself, and that’s the only substitution I would argue for after testing it.
I made this back in August, when it was still squarely summer, and ate it as lunch for days out of the fridge. The dressing was cool and creamy, but it was still squarely comfort food — despite not feeling hearty or warming. My one suggestion: Give it a night to rest in the fridge before your serve it, it’s the kind of dish that does taste better after it sits.
Also, like all good dishes that become as ubiquitous as macaroni salad, nailing down an exact recipe just isn’t going to happen. My grandmother’s is certainly all suggestions, as is mine below. Taste parts of the dish as you go, ask yourself if it needs a little more acidity or creaminess, or if it’s too thick or not seasoned enough, and adjust.
Her recipe calls for a pound of pasta, so I’m not sure I recommend making this for one to two people, but if you’re soaking up the last bit of 80-degree weather, bemoaning the fact that it’s still too damn hot to break out a light jacket, let alone a sweater, I do encourage you make a batch. Maybe it’ll make you feel like nesting too. Or, at least, sitting outside for a bit of sun.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 box elbow macaroni
A drizzle of olive oil, to keep the macaroni from sticking as it cools
3-4 large carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, decided
For the dressing
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
An extra healthy does of freshly ground black pepper, at least a teaspoon — but just eyeball it
Kosher salt, at least a half teaspoon, but taste as you go because I definitely added more than this
A little water, if the dressing seems like it needs thinning, about 1 tsp
Directions
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain, transfer to a bowl, drizzle with some olive oil, and toss. Then set aside to cool, tossing occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking.
While the pasta is cooling, prep your vegetables and the dressing.
In the bottom of a large bowl, absolutely bigger than you think you need, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust to your preferences.
Once the macaroni is cool, add it to the large bowl, along with the onions, celery, and carrots. Toss and make sure everything is evenly coated. If the dressing seems too thick, add a bit of water in now to loosen.
Cover, then let sit in the fridge overnight for flavors to meld. Serve within three days if it’s for other people, but mine lasted a bit longer as a lunch option.
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