Hot Summer's Night in Barcelona Macaroni Salad

My air conditioning hasn't been too dependable lately, so I decided to find something yummy that required minimal heat.  Enter Marlena Spieler's Macaroni & Cheese, which has a great "Soups and Salads" chapter where I spied a recipe that required me to cook just one thing - the macaroni.  Eureka!  With promises of transporting me to Spain, "Hot Summer's Night in Barcelona Macaroni Salad" was a shoe in for my weeknight menu.  I had a bunch of the ingredients already - another big plus.  Let's get not cooking!


Fixins:

• 12 oz small elbow macaroni
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 roasted and peeled red bell pepper
• 1.5 to 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• A few shakes of Tabasco
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves (recipe called for cilantro, but Tina don't play dat!)
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 3 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
• Salt to taste
• 4 to 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 6 oz queso fresco, diced

Cook the pasta.  Drain and let sit at room temperature.  Puree garlic & roasted red pepper in a food processor.  Then add the chili powder, paprika mixed with Tabasco (called pimenton, apparently), mayonnaise, and parsley and puree until smooth.  Slowly add the olive oil, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, and salt as the food processor is running.  Set aside.  Toss the pasta with chopped green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and queso fresco.  Add half the dressing and toss, then add the rest and toss again.

Result:

The aroma of this salad is mouthwatering.  I'm normally not too heavy-handed with spices, so I was afraid this salad would be too "spicy" for me, but not so.  The fats in the olive oil and mayonnaise, while not really distinguishable in the flavor of the salad, really help to soak up the powdery spices.  The dressing is strong without being spicy.  I imagine if you like spicy food, you could add a pepper or two to this, but I like it as is.  The sweet tomato and fresh onion help to brighten up an otherwise processed dish.  I think it's those two vegetables that really make this salad fit for a hot summer's night.

Repeat:

Perhaps.  I think I'm a little burned out on this salad right now since I made a whole recipe, which made enough for about five or six meals for me and I ate it every day for a week.  If I make it again, I'll half the recipe and have it as a side dish.  It's just not super satisfying as an entree.

What's your favorite summer dinner that doesn't require too much cooking?