Dan Smith
Most of what I cook is dictated by what’s in the ‘fridge at a given moment, so when I discovered a fresh jar of lemon-dill Aioli (which I’d never before used), I tasted it and thought “macaroni salad!” As it turns out—and not everything does—this was a stroke of near-genius and lends itself equally to potatoes.
Make your own Aioli, if you want, mixing garlic, olive oil, egg, lemon and dill, much as you would make mayonnaise. It is a lovely Spanish invention that is especially good if you use Spanish olive oil from the Catalan region and is readily available at the grocery store.
The cold, summer salad is fresh, spicy and wonderfully tasty, not to mention healthy. But let’s not give the impression that this one is something you’ll throw together in a few minutes. It takes time and ingredients, which can easily be bought at Kroger or another supermarket.
I use whole grain pasta because I’m diabetic, but just about anything you use normally for mac salad is fine.
Here’s what’s in it:
- 12 ounces of whole grain Rotini (or six red potatoes, diced)
- 2 diced boiled eggs
- 4 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup diced sweet onions
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup of sour cream with ½ package of onion soup mixed in
- ½ cup of lemon/dill Aioli (mine is from Private Collection, or make your own)
- 3 tablespoons chopped olives with pimento
- 3 tablespoons chopped banana pepper (and ¼ cup of the juice)
Dice and chop the veggies; boil the Rotini or potatoes until your personally desired tenderness and stir in the rest. It’s not complicated, but it takes a little time to get this one right. You will be rewarded with “oooohs” and “aaaaahs.” Promise.
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).