SERVES:

8

INGREDIENTS:

1-pound box dried pasta shells (large, not jumbo)

4 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped

2 cups deseeded, diced English cucumber
three 6-ounce cans tuna, well drained
1 Tbs dried dill
black pepper to taste
mayonnaise as needed (approx. 3/4 - 1 cup)

PROCEDURE:

Get a large pot of water going for cooking the 1-pound of pasta.

Hard boil 4 large eggs in a pot on the stovetop, in just enough water to cover. And, once the water comes to a boil, adjust the heat to keep it at a steady simmer and immediately set the timer for 12 minutes.

When the timer goes off, run the eggs under cold water to cool, peel them and rough chop them.

At any point, even while the eggs are cooking, once the pasta water comes to a boil, add the one pound box of pasta, stir that around and cook it until it's al dente.

Drain the pasta when it's done and, although you could run cold water over it to cool it down, it's a good idea to add it to a large baking tray and then toss that with a little olive oil and let it cool down on the tray.

By cooling the pasta this way you're not rinsing any of the good pasta flavor down the drain.

Add the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl and add 2 cups deseeded diced cucumber, three 6-ounce cans of tuna, 1 Tbs dried dill, add the chopped hard boiled eggs, add some black pepper to taste and add enough mayonnaise to give it a good pasta salad consistency.

HINTS:

Serve with a little hot sauce on the side for added flavor.