What does summer taste like? Is it the salty snap of a hot dog? The creamy balm of strawberry ice cream? The tart-sweet burst of a handful of blueberries?
One of our New York Times Cooking editors recently described the linguine recipe below as “a pasta that tastes like summer,” and I found myself hungry for it instantaneously. If you, too, crave recipes like this, we have a whole collection just for you: Bright and Beautiful Summer Pastas. (It includes one of our all-time greatest NYT Cooking recipes: Melissa Clark’s creamy corn pasta with basil, with nearly 8,500 ratings and five stars.)
What are you making? Do you have summer cooking requests? Write to me at dearemily@nytimes.com. It’s always good to hear from you.
2. Lomo Saltado (Tomato Beef Stir-Fry)
This vibrant stir-fry from Christian Reynoso is Chifa cooking — the cuisine that commingles Chinese and Peruvian elements — and it’s utterly delicious. Slices of steak are tumbled with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and French fries in a garlicky chile-lime-soy sauce.
3. Garlicky Alfredo Beans
Carolina Gelen’s simple, extraordinarily creamy, garlic-forward beans are a brilliant pantry staple mash-up. No pasta, just beans and lots of garlic. This recipe has five stars and rapturous comments.
4. Blackened Chicken Breasts
Here’s an easy technique from Kia Damon that delivers giant flavor. This Cajun-style chicken may be one of the most useful staples to keep in your fridge; it can be sliced to drape on salads (like a Caesar), tossed with pasta, tucked into sandwiches or nontraditional tacos or served on its own with rice and greens.
