Pasta salads come and go, but they’re always here, and the best ones are robust, the pasta providing a springboard for any number of wonders. This recipe has enough and to spare, since the rich and textured binding embraces additions. Elbow macaroni makes a great salad because it’s fluffier than other hollow pasta, and you can’t beat it for economy and availability. The other ingredients are just as familiar, and the combination is savory and attractive. The recipe is easily doubled, tripled or whatnot. For an evening meal make it in the morning, for lunch the night before, but this dish doesn’t keep well at all, no more than a day.
16 oz. large elbow macaroni, cooked
2 cups ham diced sautéed until lightly caramelized
1 cup diced raw bell pepper
1 cup diced white onion (half green is great, too)
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup sliced-diced black bottled olives
6 egg yolks mashed
1 cup mayonnaise,
1 cup small raw broccoli florets
2 tbs. yellow and 1 tbs. spicy brown mustard
2 tbs. dill/sweet relish*
*There’s a bone of contention with the relish, so take your pick; likewise with the granulated garlic, which we add when we’re making it for home, but it doesn’t travel well.
