Shrimp And Pasta Salad

I thought I would share a very simple and special salad recipe.  I can't take credit for it, as it's one my mother used to make when I was a little kid.  It's REALLY old!  I'm not sure where she learned it, but it was one often served at home during the summer months and for me, falls into that category of a favorite "comfort food," bringing back memories of times long ago.  I prepare it quite often and it's always eaten up!

INGREDIENTS
12 ounces Ditalini pasta (I use Barilla brand and this is the ONLY pasta style I find to work well)
4.25 ounces of tiny, miniature shrimp (usually get the canned ones)
3 ounces diced Pimentos
8 ounces sweet pickles
1 medium sweet purple onion
Mayonnaise
Paprika powder
Salt
Pepper

I begin by boiling water and adding the Ditalini pasta.  Cook for about 10 minutes until Al Dente.  When finished cooking, put the pasta in a strainer to drain and rinse with cold water.

I then add the tiny shrimp.  If they are canned, I drain the juice and rinse them off.  Fresh or frozen are better if you can get them.  Dice the sweet purple onion and add it to the salad.  I get the diced Pimento in a jar, drain it and add to the mix.  I prefer using whole sweet pickles, so dice them up and add them to the salad.

Now, I add the mayonnaise stirring it in to make sure the salad is completely coated and moist.  Since the pasta absorbs the mayonnaise, if you have salad left the following day, or serve it the following day, you'll most likely have to add more mayonnaise, as the salad will become too dry.  Now, add salt and pepper to taste.  Shake in the Paprika powder and stir to mix.  The salad should have a nice color to it from the Paprika and not look anemic.  When finished stirring, I add more Paprika to the top of the salad for appearance.

Put the salad in the refrigerator and chill well before serving.

I hope you'll give this easy salad a try and enjoy it as much as I do.  Perhaps it's as much about memories as taste for me, but everyone seems to enjoy it when I make it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: stan.kain@gmail.com