On Saturday night, we had dinner at my brother’s place, pulling up to his house at the end of a blazing hot day to find he had made a full taco night spread, a mirage shimmering just past the front door. These were not tacos in the “It was like I was at the market in Mexico City!” sense. It was a taco kit-style deal, with seasoned sautéed ground beef and turkey; a platter of soft tortillas and hard shells; bowls of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sliced avocado, salsa; black beans and rice on the side; cold beer. It was a blast, the most fun I’d seen kids and grown-ups have sharing the exact same meal together in a long time.
A superb non-kit recipe is below, and I highly recommend reading the thoughtful and joyous column that goes with it, by Sam Sifton, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my boss. (He also told me that when he makes this dish he likes to load up a hard shell taco and then wrap a flour tortilla around it, creating a sort of edible napkin that soaks up flavor.)
And two follow-ups to recent newsletters: First, Georgia peach lovers really came at me (in a kind way) when I asserted that nectarines were superior. It’s true, I’ve never had a freshly picked Georgia peach! Only the ones that are shipped up north. I now know that I haven’t truly lived, and I would love to fix that as soon as possible. I also made Alison Roman’s lamb skewers with lemony onions, but I had only ground pork (and no actual skewers), so I mixed the spices into the meat, made little patties about two inches across, and pan-fried them. It was great. (Have you made any newsletter recipes lately? Tell me what you thought at dearemily@nytimes.com.)
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Here are five dishes for the week:
CreditGentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson.
I would not hold back on the toppings with this recipe, since they contribute texture, flavor and fireworks. (And let’s be real: You are not having a salad on the side, so you need your shredded lettuce, your avocado, your diced tomatoes.) Swap turkey for the beef if you like, and serve with black beans or maybe sautéed corn on the side.
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2. Pasta With Marinated Tomatoes and Summer Herbs
Here’s how I made I slightly streamlined version of this salty, delicious, sort of sexily Italian pasta work on a Monday: Arrived home at 6:40. (Toddler had already eaten.) Alexa played “Baby Shark” six times while toddler danced, and I diced the tomatoes and salted them in one bowl, and combined the remaining ingredients (canned tuna, capers, herbs, oil, lemon zest) in another. After 30 minutes, I drained the tomatoes, stirred the tuna-herb mixture, and put a pot of water on to boil. After another 30 minutes — 1 hour total — I tossed it all together with the cooked pasta, and the adults devoured it. Note that I halved the recipe, but it’s just as easy to make the whole thing. It’s also easy to make vegetarian (swap out tuna for mozzarella) or vegan (don’t use either).
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3. Classic Chicken Schnitzel With Smashed Cucumbers
I love schnitzel, but I want you to focus on those juicy smashed cucumbers and their craggy edges. Smashed cucumbers are never better than in the middle of summer, and this is a superb way to deploy them. If you don’t have or care for harissa, you could toss the cucumbers with lemon juice and olive oil, or a mixture of rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil with a bit of soy sauce. I’d just eat this for dinner, but you could add rice or another grain on the side.
