The Noodles You Need

Friends came by to visit last weekend, and my three-year-old announced that we had “a fabulous pineapple” for the occasion. I don’t know where she got the phrase “fabulous pineapple,” but it was true: The pineapple, which I bought to garnish piña coladas, was fabulous. There was plenty left over for making dishes like the pineapple-marinated chicken below, an exuberant meal for the summer to come. And if this heat keeps up in New York, Judy Kim’s chile-oil noodles are next in my rotation.

What are you cooking? Tell me everything: [email protected].

1. Chile-Oil Noodles With Cilantro

I’m deliberately telling you about Judy Kim’s recipe for cool chile-oil noodles early in the season so that you can lean on it all summer long. There is nothing better on a ridiculously hot day.

3. Pineapple-Marinated Chicken Breasts

Eric Kim’s recipe makes chicken breast as luscious as thigh meat — not a small thing. But my favorite part of this dish is the juicy pineapple salsa you eat with it.

4. Grilled Tofu

I saw this new recipe by Kay Chun listed on our schedule this week and had to try it out immediately, before it even published. Kay’s technique of letting the tofu soak in a hot marinade produces remarkably flavorful results. (I made rice to go alongside, but we had flour tortillas hanging around so I also made tacos, layering the tofu with a smear of chile mayo, avocado and broccoli. So good!)

View this recipe.

5. Basic Pesto Sauce

Just keep it simple: Make pesto pasta. This method from Samin Nosrat produces pesto that is a hundred times better than anything you can buy at the store.