Strawberry, Basil and Lemon Soda

This is not a fancy recipe, but it is quick, refreshing, and makes good use of fresh, local strawberries. This is how I did it (via the June issue of Bon Appetit magazine).

1. Quarter 5 small strawberries, drop into a glass
2. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3. Add 5 clean basil leaves
4. Add 1 tablespoon sugar (I use raw), or an equivalent quantity of agave nectar
5. Crush the above with the handle of a wooden spoon (or equivalent) until sugar dissolves and basil leaves begin to shred. 
6. Shake mixture in some sort of rudimentary bar shaker mechanism (I used a coffee thermos).
7. (If you’re fancy like me, you’ll dip a drinking glass in lemon juice and sugar) 
8. Add ice to drinking glass, and strain the mixture into the glass.
9. Add tonic or soda water (I just used Pellegrino.)

Enjoy the taste of summer!

You can add your favorite vodka to it for an extra kick, but the simply soda version is a more than satisfying and bright on its own!

Refreshing looking magazine featuring delicious content — color me impressed.

(I can’t remember how I heard about this!)

I just got back from an amazing 5-ish days in Chicago, met some great people and spent some time with new-ish friends. 

But I have to mention my trip to Longman & Eagle (thanks bf), where we enjoyed amazing dish after amazing dish.

We started with the pork belly appetizer/small plate, topped with ale foam and some other amazing things. We tried the duck bao (sweet, succulent, delicious, soft) and some tete du cochon topped with a sunny side up duck egg.

“For those unaware, tete du cochon is made by basically taking everything out of a pig’s head and braising the hell out of it. So you’re left with some ridiculously tender pork. And when topped with a perfectly cooked rich duck egg, the thing jumped into the realm of consideration for top things I’ve eaten this year.” - random blogger

Next we had a steak (of course with an L&E twist) and I had parisienne gnocchi with fiddlehead ferns (crunchy! yummy!) and seared tuna. 

I am so proud of myself for becoming such an adventurous eater. I was the baby that spit out banana baby food, refused to eat chili, gagged at the mere smell of orange juice and ate pasta with parmesan for three meals a day. And now, look at me! Being a big girl, eating a pig head!! And raw fish!!! Who woulda thunk ….

Anyway, the point here, is if you’re ever in Chicago and seek an affordable, memorable and unique dining experience, do not hesitate, go to Longman & Eagle asap! And for those of you wary of experimental food, don’t worry: there’s a burger on the menu served with a side of beef fat fries and other deliciousness. You will not regret eating here.