My best mac salad recipe was something I developed many years ago. This is a self-taught creation, based on my husband’s special request for a Hawaiian-style side-dish, to go with some of the family-cooking we do at home. When it starts to feel like summertime, or we’re hosting friends and family over – where we love to serve up a feast – this dish tends to make it to the table.
Although it is still quarantine-time, and no one outside of our family is allowed into our home just-yet, (except for the five of us and our dogs) I’ve found that the process of preparing and eating homemade food to sit down and enjoy together, has been one of the most important parts of keeping our sanity in this time. Our food is always a comfort. It brings real joy and even hope – allowing us to reach beyond the mundane. Food is an opportunity to connect with one another again and again, not only because we have to, but because we actually want to. I always dig-deep to find the good.
My friends and family encouraged me to start a YouTube channel, so I went for it! Here, you can watch how I put this recipe together, in a one-take, uncut video from home. This is my second video and I have to say, I’m really enjoying doing this.
One of my kids holds my phone to take the video, and we just roll with it so that I can put the recipe together as I go, because I do my home-cooking by sight and memory. In the mean time, for this particular video, I end up taking a pause to laugh at my husband who walks in, or at the dogs who are barking because a door opened. It’s funny to share this realness. I make mistakes and catch myself too. And with this and the rest I plan to share, I write down the notes after I watched the video, so that I can share an accurate recipe with you, here.
Mili’s Best Mac Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta I used one package of Barilla, Ditalini. I recommend selecting a smaller pasta like this – small shells, or elbow macaroni work very well.
- 3 tablespoons kosher baby dill juice reserved from the pickle jar
- 3 cups 7-8 stalks of celery, chopped chop all of your added ingredients in a size that matches well with the pasta you choose
- 2/3 cup radish, chopped I typically use 5-6
- 2/3 cup black olives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons black olive juice reserved from the olive can
- 1/3 cup kosher baby dills chopped
- 2 cups hard boiled eggs, chopped I typically use 5-6, large-sized eggs
- 1/3 cup sweet relish
- 1 cup mayonaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper It comes to about 24 or so twists of the grinder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt I'm using regular iodized table salt.
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional for added spice. Another idea is to offer it at the table, to add to individual servings.
Instructions
- Prep all of the ingredients before combining into a salad. First, boil your pasta "al dente." For the package of Ditalini pasta I cooked, the package read that al dente or tender/well-timed cooking would be 10-11 minutes. For my tastes, al dente for this particular pasta is actually 9 minutes. It's up to you and how what you prefer. Please note: when you are allowing your pasta to soak in ingredients or bake after the boil, it will continue to cook and soften. To start a little less tender is key to keeping an perfected texture to the end-result that you're serving.Boil your hard boiled eggs. It's even easier to do this the day before so that they are already chilled, with shells removed so that all you need to do is chop them.
- While the pasta is cooking, drained and has completely cooled, you'll prep all of the chopping. Cut the eggs, celery, radish, baby dill pickles and olives so that they are sized well with the pasta.
- Note: In my many attempts to develop this recipe years ago, I have tried using onion, and I didn't like it. It was overpowering and it lingered. I prefer no onion, but if you really like it and don't like something I'm using here, I encourage you to mix and match to make this your own.
- Now that you have everything ready to combine and make this mac salad happen, it's time to put everything together.
- In a large bowl, using a large mixing spoon, place the pasta. Add the dill pickle juice, celery, radish, dill pickles and olives. Add the eggs next. Tenderly combine these items all together.
- Add the sweet relish to the top. Combine.
- Add the mayo and mustard. Then the fresh-cracked black pepper and salt. Add one to a half a teaspoon of paprika. If you want to make it with a little kick, I recommend now putting in 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. The cayenne is optional. Another idea is to have it on the side, for individuals to add their own amount of kick to their own serving.
- Completely combine these ingredients. Take your time to be sure that everything is very well mixed. Sprinkle the top with a little more paprika – only about a half of a teaspoon. Cover and refrigerate.
- This side dish can be ready to serve as soon as 30 minutes but it is best if it can chill for at least an hour. You can make this a day ahead. Store in a sealed bag or container in the fridge for up to three days. This makes a really great left over to serve alongside sandwiches for lunch or a dinner later in the week.
Video
So there you have it, my friends. This is it! Enjoy and take care.
