Ingredients
Method
- Take your sliced/diced pickles, olives, and add them to a large (preferably metal) mixing bowl along with the mayo, sour cream, and seasonings MINUS the salt (this will come back later) and combine. Cover the bowl (tea towel, plastic wrap, or lid) and refrigerate while we get our pasta on. A longer chill now will reduce the chill time needed later, so don't be shy about doing this step a few hours early if you want to.
- Add your pasta to a pot with *just enough* water to cover and a HEARTY batch of salt. Ignore the pasta bag's "X quarts" instructions. That's how you get pasta water than ain't good for anything. By keeping the water level low, you're going to maximize the starch and salt. That said - You can't fire and forget pasta when you're doing this way. You need to be on top of it and stirring consistently in order to both keep the pasta from sticking to itself, but also to the pot as well.
- So bring that to a quick boil and cook until just this side of al dente (typically around 6 minutes). That pasta is going to have plenty of access to liquid later on in order to further soften up.Don't drain this pasta over the sink - use a spider to go directly in our large bowl with the pickles, olives, and seasonings (and a little bit of that lovely pasta water). This is where the pre-chilled pickles & olives works to radically bring down the pasta temp.
- Get about 1/4th a cup of pasta water and add it to your mixing bowl and thoroughly combine. This is why we skipped the salt earlier. It's still too early to get a sense of how it has come together, so back in the fridge for at least another 20 minutes or so before tasting.
- Once you've got a good chill on, bring that out and give it a taste. Here's where you can make some adjustments. Needs salt? Add it here. Too thin? Add either some more mayo & sour cream or pour through a fine mesh strainer to excise your extra liquid. But remember, the noodles will *keep* absorbing that liquid over time, so don't fret on that last part until you've given it a good 2 hours in the fridge.
- At the 2-hour (or more) mark, bring that out and let 'er rip. Set out some chips (I'm a Lays Wavy man, myself). Crack a beer or two. Have a very good time.
Notes
Here's the thing - As is, this is a solid party side. But you can tweak this to your heart's content by mixing and matching your seasonings all day long. Throw in caraway seeds! Za'atar! Sumac! French Thyme! Ancho or Chipotle Chile powder!
It's a forgiving dish that almost begs for variation. Make it yours. At worst, you're left with a big bowl of macaroni salad, and that's never a bad thing.