Oh this recipe is SOOOO good! It is something I discovered several years ago on my quest for the perfect macaroni salad. I was grossed out by deli macaroni salad- it never tasted as good as it looked. I don’t know what brought me to this recipe but it has a cult following from those I have served it to. I’ve tweaked it here and there from the original recipe in The Store Cookbook.
Just a little background on The Store… it was a tiny gourmet food shop and caterer in Amagansett in the 1970′s (in the same location of what is now Mary’s Marvelous.) The cookbook is kind of a fun read…there’s a narrative so it reads differently then most cookbooks. I like background on recipes, it inspires me to try new things.
Ziti Salad
1½ teaspoons salt
1 box penne rigate, macaroni, fusilli, or ziti
1/4 cup milk
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 jar (or a little less) Mrs. Fannings sweet pickle chips, chop the pickle chip into semi-small pieces (you can obviously sub this brand but it has proven to be my favorite and it is easy to find)
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
½ cup sour cream
1½ cups mayonnaise
2 packets G. Washington Brown Bouillon Powder (this is super important- do not bother making this if you can’t find this brand)
3 grinds fresh pepper (black or white)
Dash of wine vinegar – red or white
4 tablespoons sweet pickle juice (from the jar of pickles or relish)
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water.
Place the cooked pasta in a bowl, add 1/4 cup milk to thoroughly moisten the pasta, and toss. Add the onions now so the hot pasta cooks them a tiny bit…this takes the bite out.
Chop the tomatoes, pickles, and peppers into ¼-inch cubes. Mince the shallot.
Beat the sour cream and mayonnaise together until creamy. Whisk in the vinegar and the pickle juice, then add the bouillon powder, salt to taste (remember the bouillon powder is salty), and the black or white pepper. Whisk again. Pour over the pasta. Add the shallot, tomatoes, pickles, and red peppers. Mix well.
Chill until serving time.
