Lemony White Bean and Tomato Salad with Dill

Another So Cal Summer Salad!  Yay!  Actually I was sort of feigning excitement; to be honest, I was almost tempted not to make this salad.  You see, this salad came from the June issue of Bon Appetit, and this particular issue was the one where I had found my recipe for Arugula, Fennel, and Apricot Salad... and well, we all know how that turned out.  A recipe for disappointment and pain (specifically a battle wound that has just finally healed), and that is certainly not what The Cilantropist is striving for.  

So, needless to say, it was with some trepidation and marked hesitation that I approached this recipe. (I also decided to be a little superstitious and not use my nemesis The Shun.  I figured if I brought out my trusty Henkels workhorse I would be less likely to cut myself and would instantly increase my chances of eating a delicious salad.  This is ridiculous, I know, but I refuse to apologize for the crazy way my mind works.)

It started out like the previous Bon Appetit salad: I enjoyed all the ingredients, the flavors seemed like they would meld together flawlessly, and the colors were fresh and bright. Then I was chopping everything up, and somehow the combination of the scents wafting up from the cutting board and the small tastes I took when I quickly licked my fingers (we all do this right? A little taste test here and there...) seemed somehow, just off.

Shredded Red Cabbage Salad with Pistachios

So.  After my less-than-appetizing, injury-inducing attempt at kicking off So Cal Summer Salads, I am here to present you with a true winner.  Oh yes, this salad is Delicious (and I meant to use that capital D). 

In fact, this salad is so delicious, that I am eating it right now as I am writing this.  And I am not eating it for the first time, or the second time; but rather, I am eating this salad for the third time in as many weeks because it is so simple to prepare, and is such a welcome departure from the norm of lettuce-based salads.  And did I mention yet that it is delicious? 

I found this recipe while paging through James Peterson's Cooking.  The recipe seemed to jump off the page at me, because I was just so shocked at seeing the bright purple cabbage combined with beautiful green pistachios.  They seemed like unlikely bedfellows there on the page (in full color photograph of course), and I was intrigued enough to try out the recipe.  It also helped that I only needed to purchase two ingredients, the cabbage and the pistachios, and I happen to adore both of them already.  Separately, of course.  I mean really, cabbage and pistachios together?  

Artichokes with Lemon-Garlic Aioli in Lemon Cups

God I love artichokes... Steamed, boiled, marinated.  Artichoke hearts, spinach artichoke dip, I love them all.  I don't think I have ever met an artichoke I didn't like, although I do have a bone to pick with a particular artichoke from Costco that cut me with its spiked leaf.  (That's right, you know who you are.  Watch out, I am coming to get you.)

Why was I buying artichokes in Costco?  Well, for starters, they are in season now so they have spectacular flavor.  More to the point, I had decided to serve artichokes as a first course for a dinner party I was hosting, and so I needed Costco-type portions.  I was really excited about everything for the party.  I think there is nothing better than getting around a table with people you love, eating amazing food, and laughing yourself silly.  And maybe drinking.  A little.  I am an especially happy lady when I get to be the chef extraordinare/hostess for the evening, because it gives me an excuse (as if I need one) to create loads of goodies in the kitchen to serve my hungry, obliging friends.  Clearly a win-win situation. 

I can't really articulate why I like artichokes so much.  The tiny morsel of meaty flesh at the bottom of each leaf is hardly the basis for a meal, but the gold mine of fruit that lies at the heart is well worth the effort of getting to it.  In fact, I would fight you for it.  Maybe it is the fun of scraping each leaf with my teeth?  On a deeper level, I think the biologist in me also likes the fact that an artichoke is a sort of flower marauding as a vegetable.  Tricky, tricky. 

I didn't even end up buying anything on my trip to Costco, because I was so put off by that renegade artichoke that so brazenly attacked me.  This was actually a blessing in disguise, since I found these beautiful, huge, ripe artichokes at my local grocery store.  Score!  Other artichoke-hounds out there know as well as I do that a good artichoke is often hard to come by.  I excitedly took my loot home and prepped them for cooking.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

So I would bet that everyone reading this post has eaten a molten chocolate lava cake at one point or another.  Or at least, I certainly hope you have.  If you have never had one of these luscious, decadent, oh-so-sexy desserts you are missing out.  Really.  If you are one of those deprived people, go ahead and tell someone else you have not eaten one.  I can guarantee you they will be incredulous and respond with, "Whaaaat??!  You have never eaten a lava cake?  OMG.  They are soooooo good, you are crazy.  You need to eat one right now."  

Whether you are a lava cake newbie, or a certified chocolate connoisseur, you do need to eat this cake right now.  Because while it is likely to be featured on the dessert menu at your favorite fancy restaurant or the local Italian joint, this cake can just as easily be whipped up in your own kitchen.  In fact, I would argue that your kitchen is a better place to eat this dessert; only in the comfort of your own home can you fully appreciate its warm, intimate center that flows like molten gold.  At home, you can eat with abandon and lick your lips after each satisfying bite.  If you are doing it right, eating this kind of cake might even make you a little hot and bothered...  So grab your loved one and go into your kitchen and start making it.  Or be really naughty and make one just for yourself.