Mac Salad
Hawaii’s mac salad is not the summer standard of cookouts on the mainland (what locals call the rest of the United States). The pasta is cooked past al dente, until swoony and soft all the way through. In this version from the chef Mark Noguchi, Gooch to friends, there’s a little punch-up of Tabasco and trace sweetness, like a sidelong glance, from grated carrots and a grace note of sugar. The marquee ingredient, of course, is mayonnaise. ‘‘Just so you know, you’ll be using a lot of mayo,’’ Gooch warns. ‘‘Obscene, guarantee-going-to-make-you-raise-your-eyebrow kine of lot.” Yet somehow what you end up with is richness without weight, leavened by tang and salt. In Hawaii, a scoop would be served with a plate lunch, alongside rice and a main dish, like chicken katsu. Ligaya Mishan
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