If you pass over the potato salad at a cookout, chances are it's in favor of the pasta salad - always my top choice. I love to make all different kinds of pasta salad, but I have to say my favorites have a lot of cheese and a lot of vinaigrette-type dressings, rather than heavy mayonnaise.
Rachael Ray has a great Mac and Jack salad that's just spicy enough to not be typical. I like to use elbow macaroni or rotini for my pasta salads, but really any pasta is fine. This recipe calls for defrosted frozen corn, a red pepper, red onion, celery, pepper jack cheese (great for that extra kick), red wine vinegar, olive oil, salsa, and parsley. Try this one to give your Memorial Day celebration some extra spice.
If that's too non-traditional for you, try the American Macaroni Salad, courtesy of Food Network Kitchens. This one is basic - celery, onion, parsley, dried or ground mustard, a tomato, mayonnaise. This one is interesting because it also calls for sour cream, which gives it a creamier texture. You could also ad-lib and use Italian dressing (low-fat if you're watching calories), or a simple oil and vinegar mixture and leave out the mayo and sour cream.
Macaroni salad is a versatile dish, perfect for cookouts and pot luck parties, so experiment with different recipes and find your favorite. And don't boil your pasta too long - if it's too soft it gets mushy, and who likes a mushy pasta salad? Not at this cookout!
Or kaffir leaves for that matter. We do some fusion but it's way more subtle like using lemon grass in a chicken sauce or five spice as a garnish on one of the fish dishes.
Posted by: costa rica investments | July 30, 2010 at 09:55 AM