Macaroni Salad

June 19, 2022 in Side Dish

This is probably my most requested recipe but it has been a true struggle to finally publish it. I think I get major writer’s block when it comes to recipes that people love the most, and especially ones I “wing”. I don’t think I’ve ever made a macaroni salad the same way twice - it’s always dependent on what I have on hand and also… how many beverages I’ve had since I usually make this in the summer with a beer or two.

I have a dream of publishing a “Choose Your Own Adventure” version of this recipe, with all the options and considerations. But in the meantime, here is a base recipe for macaroni salad that you can play around with yourself. Where I’ve noted “+ more to taste” those are ingredients that I plus up or down depending on the day, and what I’m feeling. More tang? More apple cider vinegar. More sweetness? More white sugar or green relish. Not feeling that YUM? Probably need a little more salt to bring out the flavours.

A few tips:

Salt your pasta water

Cold food needs more seasoning (article in Fine Cooking) and that starts from the inside of your pasta! Make sure you season your pasta water well with salt before cooking so that the pasta gets seasoned while cooking.

Rinse the pasta with cold water

Rinse the pasta with cold water and let it drain well - you don’t want excess water going into the pasta salad. Cold water stops the cooking process so that you don’t end up with mushy pasta, and rinsing its rid of all of the starchiness on the outside of the pasta so it doesn’t stick together.

Finely dice your veg

The best part of this salad is the little bites of freshness from the finely chopped veg. You don’t want them to be big bites.

Use spice packets

I’m all for making things from scratch but there is a little “je ne sai quoi” about the premade spice packets. My favourites are Club House Pasta Salad or the spice packet in the Kraft Macaroni Salad box.

Season to taste. Taste again. Season. Taste again.

Back to the first tip: Cold food needs more flavour. Taste as you go - your sauce should be punchy before you add in the pasta, because the flavour will mellow out with the noodles. Taste again just before serving and adjust as needed.

Controversial move: top with sliced hard-boiled eggs

I personally love hard-boiled eggs with my pasta salad but for some people, it’s a hard no. Since it can be quite polarizing I sometimes will have the sliced hard-boiled eggs on a plate beside the salad so guests can truly choose their own adventure. I love the fatty yolk chopped into each bite.

Double the recipe if making for a big crowd

This recipe can be easily scaled - mix double the dressing if making for a big BBQ!

Prepping ahead?

If prepping ahead of time, save a little bit of the dressing to add right before serving - the pasta will soak up some of the dressing in the fridge. If you forget, you can always whisk a little mayo with some apple cider vinegar (maybe 2 tbsp to 1 tbsp) and fold that in right before serving.

25 mins, serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

3 cups dried macaroni, cooked, rinsed with cold water (see step 1)

½ cup mayonnaise (more if you want it creamier, add up to a ¼ cup more)

1 tsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp green relish (or 2 tbsp finely diced gherkins)

1 tsp white sugar (+ more to taste)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (+ more to taste)

2 stalks of celery, finely diced

½ a red or orange pepper, finely diced

¼ cup diced red onion (about ⅛ of a medium onion), finely diced

Seasonings:

½ a packet of Club House Pasta Salad mix or Kraft Pasta Salad kit

½ tsp of each garlic powder, onion powder, paprika plus some dried herbs like basil, dill, parsley or oregano (or all!)

½ tsp kosher salt

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Optional:

Fresh herbs! Fresh dill, chives or parsley are great additions

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

Method:

Cook your pasta according to the package, and immediately drain and rinse with cold water until fully cooled. Set to the side and allow it to drain well.
In a large bowl combine your mayo, mustard, relish, sugar, vinegar, plus your seasonings of choice (either spice packet or mixture of dried herbs). Add in your finely diced veggies.
Taste - does it need more seasoning or salt? Maybe a bit more tang from the vinegar? Once it tastes good you’re ready for your pasta. If you are making this ahead of time, save a little dressing to fold in right before serving. Add in your drained macaroni and stir until every noodle is well coated. Give it another taste and adjust.
Once you’re happy with the seasoning top with fresh herbs (if using) or sliced hard boiled eggs (if using) and serve! If prepping ahead of time, put in the fridge. Right before serving fold in your reserved dressing and add your toppings.
ENJOY!

Zuchinni Chicken Burgers

August 12, 2021 in Main Meal

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These burgers were an early pandemic creation for me before I discovered grocery delivery and was limiting my grocery shops to once a month. I often ran out of ingredients and had to get super creative with what I had on hand. There was a solid two weeks last April that I didn’t have eggs, but I had some ground chicken in my freezer. Knowing that zucchinis add a great amount of moisture to baked goods, I thought to experiment with them as the binder. They turned out so well, and now are in regular rotation! I honestly like them better than chicken burgers made with the traditional egg and breadcrumb binder. I find they stay super moist and remind me of a smash burger texture. The Worcestershire sauce adds so much savouriness to the patties that they almost taste like a beef burger.

The mixture is pretty loose, which is typical of a chicken burger because there’s less fat to keep its shape when they are cold. Update: I’ve tried these on the BBQ and they hold together well! You just need to cook them on a high heat, similar to the pan method, so that a crust forms before flipping. Tips below.

A few tips:

Mix your binder/flavourings before adding in the ground chicken

Similar to my glazed chicken meatballs, I recommend mixing all your flavourings first then adding in your ground chicken so everything gets evenly distributed without over mixing the meat.

Put oil or water on your hands to shape

Since ground chicken can be a bit ‘sticky’, coating your palms with a little oil or wetting them with water will help prevent your hands from getting too sticky.

Cook on a high heat

To give them a good crust and help them keep their shape, I start them at a high heat and then turn it down to finish cooking through. If you have a cast iron, I would recommend using that with a good glug of oil but I have also made these in a non-stick!

For the BBQ, heat grill to high and brush grill with a high smoke point oil like vegetable or canola oil. Grill on high until a crust forms before flipping! This will ensure they don’t stick.

Do not disturb for the first few mins

In order for a good crust to form, you need to sear them hard in the oil and not move them around too much to start. Otherwise, you’ll have some mixture sticking to the pan / left behind!

Freeze for future you!

My friend tested out freezing these raw (wrapped in plastic wrap) and they held up well! Just let them thaw, and then cook as below.

Time: 30 mins

Yields: 4 burgers

Ingredients:

1 cup grated zucchini, drain out excess liquid (either press down in a strainer or squeeze with a clean cloth or cheesecloth)

¼ white onion, grated

1 tsp Sriracha

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

1 package ground chicken (450g)

1 tbsp neutral oil for pan - avocado or sunflower oil preferred for high heat, use lower heat with olive oil (you won’t get the same crust!)

Optional burger sauce:

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Sriracha

Method:

Mix together your grated zucchini, onion, Sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Once well combined, mix in your ground chicken.
Form into 4 equal patties.
Heat pan with oil over medium-high heat. (Alternatively, heat BBQ grill on high and brush grill with canola or vegetable oil).
Place patties in the pan (or on grill), ensuring space between them so they don’t steam.
Leave them undisturbed for 5-7 mins until a dark crust forms. Flip with confidence! One swift movement under and then flip!
Continue to cook on the other side for another 2 mins then turn down the heat to medium and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165F (about 4 mins). Top with cheese slice if desired!
Serve on a bun with tomato, lettuce, burger sauce, and whatever else tickles your fancy!

Guide to Oven Pulled Pork

July 25, 2021 in Main Meal

This is less of a recipe, and more of a guide, and it’s been a long, long, long time coming. I’ve been making oven pulled pork for about 10 years, and each time I make it, it’s a little bit different. I also don’t really have many good photos of pulled pork sandwiches because I usually make them for a crowd, aka a party, aka I have a few beverages during the prep. But the result is what you imagine - saucy, drippy, and oh-so-delicious. I’ve added notes below of all the considerations I keep in mind, the variations I make, and how to adjust depending on your flavour preferences. I hope you find this guide helpful and choose your own adventure to a delicious sandwich.

One disclaimer is this guide is for oven-roasted pulled pork. I do not claim to be an expert in smoking or BBQ - those are truly an art I have no expertise in. This is purely based on my own experience experimenting with my favourite sweet and saucy pulled pork sandwich, using the tools available to me (my oven).

A few recipes/resources I’ve consulted over the years that have influenced this guide are: Tyler Florence Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Barbeque Bible “In Praise of Pork Shoulder”.

Overall approach to this recipe:

This recipe can be made in 1 day. I’ve done it many times that way. BUT if you have the luxury of time, I recommend starting this 3 days out:

Day 1: make the dry rub and coat your pork shoulder in it. Let it sit in the fridge covered overnight.
Day 2: roast the pork, let it cool, shred it, put the meat in a covered dish in the fridge. Put the pan drippings in a mason jar overnight. Optional: make your bbq sauce and refrigerate, or save that for Day 3.
Day 3: reheat pork with pan drippings (fat skimmed off) in an oven-safe dish or on low in a slow cooker. Make your bbq sauce if you haven’t yet (or get that store-bought stuff ready!).

To serve:

You want squishy white buns. No fancy buns needed. Just those little hockey puck-sized white buns that if squished would become a pancake. Delish.
I like to add in ½ my BBQ sauce to the pork to make it saucy, with the rest of the bbq sauce in a dish with a spoon or a squeeze bottle for those who like extra sauce. You could also keep the BBQ sauce separate so guests can truly choose their own adventure.

How much pork to buy:

You want pork shoulder or Boston Butt
¼ lb of pork per person assuming you are eating on buns
You can buy bone-in or boneless - bone-in will take longer to cook but often has more flavour
- Bone-in will lose ~40% of its weight once it cooks

For example: if feeding 8 people, 4 lbs bone-in pork shoulder will be perfect and leave a bit leftover.

Dry rub ratios:

Essentially 3:1 paprika to others (below if perfect for 4lb, double if you have a bigger piece of pork):

3 tbsp paprika (I like to do 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp regular)
1 tbsp dry mustard (optional)
1 tbsp onion powder (optional)
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ground black pepper

I like to add in for heat and flavour (optional):

½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground chile powder
½ tsp ground cayenne

Salt depends on how big of a piece of meat you have:

Roughly ½ tbsp of kosher salt per lb of meat.
Example: 2 tbsp salt (kosher or sea salt) for a 4lb pork shoulder.

For cooking:

½ tall can of cider or beer (lager, nothing too hoppy)

Or you can use apple juice or water!

Steps:

Mix together your dry rub and rub all over the pork shoulder. You can do this up to 24 hours ahead of time (just put it in the fridge wrapped). If you have any extra dry rub I would just add it to the bottom of the pan. It will cook out in the liquid making a great pan sauce.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325F. Place the pork shoulder in a roasting pan or other oven-safe dish with high sides, pour in ½ a tall can of cider or beer for moisture and cover with tin foil. Cook time depends on the size of pork shoulder (once it’s in the oven, I would start the BBQ sauce on the stove - below).

Check the pork every 30 - 45 mins to ensure it’s not drying out - there should be lots of drippings and moisture in the pan. If your oven runs hot, consider turning it down to 300F and adding some water to the pan if it’s drying out.

Rough guide of cooking time:

3-4 lbs -> 4-5 hours
5-7 lbs -> 6 hours
7-10 lbs -> 8-9 hours

You want to cook it until it is falling apart with a fork. Once it’s done, let it cool until you are able to touch it. Remove pork to a cookie sheet or cutting board and shred the pork (I use my hands but you can also use two forks), removing any large piece of fat. Place in a slow cooker if you are serving later for a crowd or into an oven-safe dish to reheat later.

Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a mason jar and place in the fridge to cool so the fat separates. Once cooled, scrape off the fat, and then add the pan drippings to your pork

If you want saucy pulled pork (this is how I make it!):

BBQ Sauce

I like to start this on the stove pretty soon after I put in the pork. Letting it simmer for a few hours at a low heat cooks out the ketchup-y flavour, caramelizes the sugars slowly, and allows for a deep tangy, sweet sauce!

Base sauce*:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 white onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed

1 cup ketchup

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup molasses

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp yellow mustard

The other ½ tall can of cider or beer

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat your olive oil and add in your diced onion. Sautee until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic cloves and remaining ingredients. Stir or whisk together and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to low heat and simmer covered for a few hours. Check it every 15-30 mins to ensure the bottom isn’t burning (there’s a lot of sugar in there!), giving it a good stir. Once the colour has deepened to nice brown colour and it’s thickened, it’s in a good place. Now taste! Follow my asterisk below for adjustments:

*The reason I say “base sauce” is you should taste and trust your taste buds. Some people like their BBQ sauce more acidic, some like it sweeter, or more savoury. Start with this, let it simmer for 1-2 hours, then taste.

If it needs more sweetness, add more molasses or brown sugar (or honey! Or maple syrup!).
If it needs more acid, add more apple cider vinegar.
Need more savouriness? Try a tsp or two of soy sauce. Or maybe more Worcestershire sauce. Or maybe salt?? Taste and adjust!
Do you want some spice? Add in some drops of your fav vinegar-based hot sauce, like tabasco or cholula.

Remember: the pork will be salty, smokey, savoury and fatty. The sauce should be a bit sweet and tangy to counter that.