This time in wine

I went to my friend Debbie Phillips for dinner. We hadn’t seen each other in over 20 years; she and her husband had moved out of the city and so we got together last week. She made BBQ chicken and some salads. Now, I have never been a fan of macaroni salad; to be fair I haven’t really eaten it much. I think it stems from my fear of elbow macaroni, which traumatized me the first time I saw Kraft Dinner back when I was attending McMaster University over 40 years ago. I have had plenty of pesto fusilli salads and they didn’t do much for me either. I think it’s the cold pasta that doesn’t work for me. Anyway, I had to try some to be polite; she said it was her mom’s recipe and she had been eating it all her life. It was so good I had seconds and made it at home the next day for my family. Everyone loved it. It just got better tasting the next day. I know what you’re thinking; it’s just macaroni salad and you’ve probably been eating it all your life— but I haven’t. The noodle was perfectly cooked. I used a generous half cup of each diced vegetable and you could probably put in more. Her mom liked to add diced radish, but I didn’t have any. I didn’t change much except that I substituted smoked paprika for regular and used a Poblano pepper for bell because that’s what I had. I liked that she used balsamic vinegar; it added just the right amount of sweetness to the dressing instead of sugar.

Debbie’s macaroni salad
4 cups elbow macaroni

1/2 cup celery, fine diced

1/2 cup bell pepper, fine diced

1/2 cup carrot, grated

1/2 cup red onion, fine diced

1 cup mayonnaise

2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni, stirring often until tender but still a bit firm to taste, about 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Put macaroni in large bowl, stir in celery, pepper, carrots, and onion. In a smaller bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic powder, and paprika. Stir dressing into macaroni and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Will taste even better the next day.