Cooking with Rod's Family

By Melinda Cohenour

Summer is just about over. Leaves may have already turned in your area. A crispness is felt in the air, and your day may be cooled by a sprinkling of rain or mist. Time to fire up the grill one last time or maybe it is even cool enough to heat up the oven for some type roast - pork, beef or even chicken.

This pasta salad provides just the right balance of flavor for any of those choices - barbecue, grilled meats, oven-prepared roasts, a quick sandwich utilizing cold slices of yesterday's roast perhaps. My family has even opted to grab a glass of iced tea or lemonade and enjoy the salad on its own. Goes great with toasted crisp bread or crunchy crackers.

Think you will find this pasta salad refreshing, tasty and satisfying.

Bon appetit ~!

Ingredients:

• 32 oz. Box Elbow macaroni
• 1 or 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1 or 2 14.5 oz cans pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice)
• 1-2 carrots (if possible select skinny ones)
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1 medium red, orange or yellow bell pepper (consider a bag of the colorful mini bell peppers to furnish the color variety needed)
• 3-4 large sweet red radishes (optional)
• 1 small can sliced water chestnuts
• 1 small sweet white onion (like Vidalia)
• 2 cups freshly grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip (or to taste)
• Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Do NOT cook to soft stage, just past al dente is perfect.

2. Prep veggies: Rinse bell peppers, remove stem, internal white ribs and seeds. Dice to match pineapple tidbits size. Set aside in small bowls.
Rinse and scrape carrots, removing root tip and stem end. Using slicer/dicer equipment, food processor, or peeling tool slice THIN dimes. Set aside.
Rinse and trim stem end and tips from radishes. Only use crisp, fresh vegetables, discarding any that are mealy when cut. Pare into thin slices. Set aside.
Rinse onion, cut in half and remove paper shell and tough outer layer. Dice fine, about 1/2" each. Set aside.

3. Prep fruit:
Drain pineapple well, reserving juice. Set both aside.
Rinse apples, removing stems and seeds. Leave peel on. Cut thin slices then cube. Drop into reserved pineapple juice until ready to use. (This serves two purposes, prevents browning and leaves slightly sweet taste. You will drain before adding to salad.)
Drain water chestnuts, rinse and set aside.

4. Prepare salad:
Add carrots, peppers, radishes, onions and gently stir.
Add water chestnuts, pineapple and drained apple.
Add grated cheese at the very end to prevent it absorbing moisture. If chilling your salad for more than an hour, consider adding the cheese just before serving. Fold in carefully. Try not to break up pasta.

5. Prepare dressing:
In small bowl add Miracle Whip. Judge amount needed to LIGHTLY dress pasta salad. Add a teaspoon of pineapple juice and whisk. Add black pepper. Whisk and taste. Adjust quantities of those three ingredients until satisfied with taste
Add to pasta salad. Toss to dress all the salad. Make more dressing to suit your taste.
Cover and chill in refrigerator to let flavors blend. One hour at minimum but don't let it sit long enough for the pasta to lose its firmness or the cheese to become moist (see note above about adding cheese just before serving.)

This Fresh, Fruity and Filling Pasta Salad is a perfect side for any barbecued or grilled meat, savory pork chops, pork loin, or roast. It also enhances fried or baked chicken. It can be served alongside any type sandwich as well. Try it with beef roasts, too. A perfect counterpoint in flavor is coleslaw or a cabbage and beet dish.