Mom knows best

In the news: The world-famous but disgraced Noma restaurant is reopening in Copenhagen, this time without chef Rene Redzepi at the helm. The Associated Press asked me for my thoughts.  What’s your take? 

Whenever I break bread with an expert in their field, I invariably ask them what they do in their personal life, based on what they’ve learned, to enhance it. In recent years, doctors have told me to prioritize sleep. Trainers have let me know “it’s all about the core.” And a security expert urged me to delete TikTok from my phone. (Trying. On it. Done, respectively.) 

For advice on aging well, all I have to do is look at the best role model in my life: my mom, Dorothy Sietsema, who lives by herself in my childhood home on one of those 10,000 lakes you hear about in Minnesota. 

While Mom admits she doesn’t drink enough water, she buys milk as if she’s still feeding a family. A former public health nurse, she knows how to take care of herself – hence her frequent walks around the house, with a walker for balance. “You have to move!” she’ll say. Surrounded by a village of friends of all ages, Mom seldom complains about aches and pains, reads a newspaper daily to keep abreast of world events, and says “yes” to most invitations that come her way.

A couple years ago, she flew to Africa to visit my brother who works in Nairobi. Last month, she renewed her driver’s license, because if she wants to fly again, she will need the federally required “star” Real ID.

Did I mention my mom is 98 and just had two stents put in? She was encouraged to do so after her heart doctor told her the procedure would allow her to go home the same day, and, by the way, she could not claim to be the specialist’s oldest-ever patient, who was 101.  

Count me grateful. And mindful. The clock is ticking and I see Mom more frequently now. (At her request, we wrote up her obituary a while back. Ever practical, she told me, “You’re not going to have anyone to fact-check with, you know.”) Ahead of a visit home, she always asks me, “What do you want me to cook for you?”

I tell her not to bother. I’ll send ahead a surprise meal for something delicious from tried-and-true Goldbelly, my favorite food delivery, or we’ll cook together, I say, as we’ve done in the past, mostly so I can write down everything she does to her food to make it hers. Mom won’t be around forever, and I want to be able to re-create childhood favorites in her absence. 

 I might say don’t bother, but I’m giddy when she takes the time. When I walk in the door, there’s always a big tub of her tuna pasta salad in the fridge. It’s nothing fancy, but as with her Three-Bean Salad and American Goulash Casserole, tuna pasta salad reminds me of my youth, and I dig in as if it were my last meal. The simple comfort, which I have inhaled for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, rarely lasts more than a day, even though her recipe makes enough for a crowd.

I was determined to get that recipe on a visit in June. I found it, written on a piece of paper in her distinctive cursive, near where she keeps important numbers by her kitchen phone.

The dressing for the dish turns out to be the binder she uses for her potato salad. Mom’s instructions are few but significant: “Don’t overcook the pasta” and “load up on the celery.” (She passed along her appreciation for texture to her kids.) As for the type of canned tuna, “Julia says oil-packed,” says Mom, who met Julia Child once and recognizes that oil-packed fish offers superior flavor and moisture. But Mom will use water-packed if that’s all she has in the pantry. The “Fargo” plainness of the pasta salad can be dressed up with pimentos. 

There you have them, Mom’s keys to please. Betcha can’t stop at one scoop.

Main image by Deb Lindsey Photography

This salad can be made a day ahead. For a tangier mix, add a splash more vinegar; for a meatier combination, add more tuna.

For the salad
Salt, for the cooking water
1 pound dried elbow macaroni
10 to 12 ounces canned chunk light tuna, drained and flaked (packed in water or oil)
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion, preferably Vidalia
Diced pimentos, for garnish (from a jar; optional)

For the dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, or more as needed
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed

For the salad: Boil a pot of lightly salted water over medium-high heat. Add the macaroni and cook just until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain, rinse until completely cool, drain well, and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add the tuna, celery, and chopped onion, stirring to distribute them evenly.

For the dressing: Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, until smooth.

Pour over the macaroni mixture and stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before serving, to allow the flavors to marry. The salad keeps well for about two days.

Since I’ve become food correspondent for NOTUS, I’ve been addressing readers’ dining-related issues in a weekly Q & A. Got a rant, rave, or comment? Feel free to send it to me at [email protected]. A fresh column appears every Thursday in the Metro section.