My husband Jack and daughter are crazy about this macaroni salad, especially the tuna version. Hope you like it too. I think it took longer to write it than to make it
-- Sorry that it's so wordy; I write my recipes with new cooks in mind.
Rita
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HANNA DESCHLER'S MACARONI SALAD WITH OPTIONAL TUNA
Makes about 12 cups lightly piled tuna-macaroni salad and 1 1/2 cups regular dressing. Serves 8–12.
This salad is best made a day ahead. If doubling the salad, you’ll need an 11-quart bowl to be able to toss all the ingredients. If you don’t have time to chill the salad for at least 4 hours, reduce the salt in the dressing.
1 large green pepper, chopped
6 large stalks celery, medium (4 mm) sliced
3 large (about 10 oz) carrots, medium shredded
Optional: 6 ounces frozen corn, thawed, or kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn (uncooked)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, for the vegetables
3 whole green onions, in 1" pieces (or small chunk onion)
3 tablespoons capers, or quartered Kalamata olives, to taste
12 ounces small dried elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons kosher salt (enough for 8–16 ounces pasta)
DRESSING:
1 1/2 cups Hellmann’s Real or Light Mayonnaise,
OR: 1/2 cup Hellmann’s Light mayonnaise,
PLUS: 1/2 cup light or fat-free sour cream,
AND: 1 teaspoon sugar
Fresh lemon juice (3 tablespoons for light mayonnaise, 4 tablespoons for Real mayonnaise)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons table salt
1 medium clove garlic, minced
A good grinding of white pepper
3 (6-ounce) cans water-packed solid white (albacore) tuna, drained well (optional)
1. Begin heating the pasta water.
2. Set a colander or strainer over a bowl.
Prepare vegetables. Add green pepper to food processor fitted with steel blade; pulse to coarsely chop. Leave in workbowl.
Insert 4mm slicing disk; slice celery. Leave in workbowl.
Insert the medium shredding disk and shred the carrots.
Transfer the vegetables to the colander and toss with the salt. (DO NOT WASH THE PROCESSOR BOWL YET.)
Weight vegetables with a gallon ziptop bag filled about 2/3 with water.
Drain for at least 1 1/2 hours, preferably 2 1/2 hours.
3. Chop the green onion and capers in the food processor to medium-fine. Remove to a 2-cup bowl to use for the dressing.
4. Cook pasta. Add macaroni and salt to boiling water. Cook pasta to al dente (barely done); drain well. Do not rinse pasta.
Rinse the pot with cold water and dry. Return the macaroni to the pot and allow it to cool about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Dressing (Makes 1 1/2 cups): To the chopped green onion and capers in the 2-cup bowl, add the mayonnaise (or the light mayonnaise, sour cream, and sugar). Add the lemon juice, mustard, salt, garlic, and pepper. Mix well.
6. Squeeze as much excess water from the drained vegetables as you can.
Toss the dressing and drained vegetables into the cooked and cooled macaroni.
7. OPTIONAL: If desired, gently toss in the tuna so it doesn't break up too much.
8. OTHER OPTIONAL ADDITIONS. Add one or more of the following:
Leftover cooked beef, chicken, turkey, shrimp, ham, or pork
1 (15 ounce/425g) can red kidney beans, rinsed
1/2–1 package frozen tiny peas, defrosted
1/2 of a (12-ounce/340g) package frozen corn, thawed
Fresh green beans, cut into one-inch pieces, blanched, shocked quickly in ice water, and drained
(NOTE: Hard-cooked eggs do not work well in this salad, IMO.)
9. Chill several hours or overnight; adjust seasonings, especially salt and lemon juice. If salad seems dry, add a few drops water.
Rita
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HANNA DESCHLER'S MACARONI SALAD WITH OPTIONAL TUNA
Makes about 12 cups lightly piled tuna-macaroni salad and 1 1/2 cups regular dressing. Serves 8–12.
This salad is best made a day ahead. If doubling the salad, you’ll need an 11-quart bowl to be able to toss all the ingredients. If you don’t have time to chill the salad for at least 4 hours, reduce the salt in the dressing.
1 large green pepper, chopped
6 large stalks celery, medium (4 mm) sliced
3 large (about 10 oz) carrots, medium shredded
Optional: 6 ounces frozen corn, thawed, or kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn (uncooked)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, for the vegetables
3 whole green onions, in 1" pieces (or small chunk onion)
3 tablespoons capers, or quartered Kalamata olives, to taste
12 ounces small dried elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons kosher salt (enough for 8–16 ounces pasta)
DRESSING:
1 1/2 cups Hellmann’s Real or Light Mayonnaise,
OR: 1/2 cup Hellmann’s Light mayonnaise,
PLUS: 1/2 cup light or fat-free sour cream,
AND: 1 teaspoon sugar
Fresh lemon juice (3 tablespoons for light mayonnaise, 4 tablespoons for Real mayonnaise)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons table salt
1 medium clove garlic, minced
A good grinding of white pepper
3 (6-ounce) cans water-packed solid white (albacore) tuna, drained well (optional)
1. Begin heating the pasta water.
2. Set a colander or strainer over a bowl.
Prepare vegetables. Add green pepper to food processor fitted with steel blade; pulse to coarsely chop. Leave in workbowl.
Insert 4mm slicing disk; slice celery. Leave in workbowl.
Insert the medium shredding disk and shred the carrots.
Transfer the vegetables to the colander and toss with the salt. (DO NOT WASH THE PROCESSOR BOWL YET.)
Weight vegetables with a gallon ziptop bag filled about 2/3 with water.
Drain for at least 1 1/2 hours, preferably 2 1/2 hours.
3. Chop the green onion and capers in the food processor to medium-fine. Remove to a 2-cup bowl to use for the dressing.
4. Cook pasta. Add macaroni and salt to boiling water. Cook pasta to al dente (barely done); drain well. Do not rinse pasta.
Rinse the pot with cold water and dry. Return the macaroni to the pot and allow it to cool about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Dressing (Makes 1 1/2 cups): To the chopped green onion and capers in the 2-cup bowl, add the mayonnaise (or the light mayonnaise, sour cream, and sugar). Add the lemon juice, mustard, salt, garlic, and pepper. Mix well.
6. Squeeze as much excess water from the drained vegetables as you can.
Toss the dressing and drained vegetables into the cooked and cooled macaroni.
7. OPTIONAL: If desired, gently toss in the tuna so it doesn't break up too much.
8. OTHER OPTIONAL ADDITIONS. Add one or more of the following:
Leftover cooked beef, chicken, turkey, shrimp, ham, or pork
1 (15 ounce/425g) can red kidney beans, rinsed
1/2–1 package frozen tiny peas, defrosted
1/2 of a (12-ounce/340g) package frozen corn, thawed
Fresh green beans, cut into one-inch pieces, blanched, shocked quickly in ice water, and drained
(NOTE: Hard-cooked eggs do not work well in this salad, IMO.)
9. Chill several hours or overnight; adjust seasonings, especially salt and lemon juice. If salad seems dry, add a few drops water.
