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Year of the Noodle: Week 25

This recipe could use a better name.  When I think of Macaroni Salad, I invision pale macaroni with celery, diced ham and cheese floating in a sea of mayo.  Not that I didn’t love that dish as a kid.  But as an adult, I think I’d probably steer clear of anything called Macaroni Salad.

This is not, however, that kind of salad.  It’s the adult version.  Lots of green onion, fresh arugula, and crisp apple create flavors on the opposite end of the spectrum from diced ham and mayo.

Don’t be afraid of the dressing when you first taste it.  By itself it seems a little overpowering, but once you toss the other ingredients with it, the flavors mellow nicely.  I would advise chopping the arugula just a bit – the leaves become a bit hard to eat at their full size.  And keep the apple a bit larger than I did.  It’s nice to have a good chunk every now and then.

Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 1/4 cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups thinly sliced green onions {~3-4 bunches}
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
  • fine grain sea salt
  • lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • zest and juice of one lemon
  • 1/3 cup / 2 oz grated Parmesan
  • 4 big handfuls arugula
  • 1 large apple, diced
Directions
  1. Cook the macaroni in a large pot of well-salted water per package instructions. Set aside at least 1/2 cup / 120ml pasta water. Then drain pasta and set aside.
  2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Add most of the green onions, all of the garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften, and the garlic begins to take on some color, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple minutes.
  3. Use a hand blender or food processor to puree the green onion mixture along with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, zest of the lemon, half the lemon juice, and the reserved pasta water. Puree and taste. The green onion flavor should be assertive. Stir in the Parmesan.
  4. Combine the macaroni with the green onion sauce in a large bowl. Toss well. Add the arugula and most of the apple and toss again. Taste, and add more pepper, salt, or lemon juice if needed. Serve topped with the remaining apple and green onion.
Source: 101 cookbooks