Cajun Macaroni Salad

Many macaroni salads are bland and boring. Not this one, which gets its kick from the jalapeno mayonnaise. Don’t hesitate to make this if you don’t like spicy heat. Just use mild or medium pickled jalapenos, which are widely available. Even the regular ones only make this slightly hot; the mild/medium variety just add flavor, not heat. If you’re concerned about using raw eggs, use the bottled mayonnaise variation below.

1 lb. macaroni or other bite-sized pasta shape

1 c. very thinly sliced scallions both white and green parts

1 c. very finely chopped red, yellow, or orange bell pepper or a combination

4-6 hard-boiled eggs, 1 sliced for garnish and the rest chopped

Jalapeño Mayonnaise (see below)

Freshly ground pepper

Salt

Optional: 1 lb. cooked shrimp (halved if large) or crawfish

Cook pasta JUST until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Cool to room temperature. Reserve ¼ c. of the green parts of the scallions and ¼ c. of the peppers for garnish. Mix the pasta with the remaining scallions and peppers, then add the chopped eggs and shrimp, if using. Mix in enough of the ground hot pepper mayonnaise to bind the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the reserved egg slices, scallion greens and peppers. Serve chilled. This is good as is, stuffed in large hollowed-out tomatoes, or on a bed of lettuce. Serves 4-8.