Author Archives: Fignatius

13 April 2010
1 Comment
Cocktails

Cocktail Hour: Gingeroni


Gingeroni

Just in time for the spring-like weather we are having, here is the most refreshing cocktail I’ve made in a long while. Inspired by the Ginger Negroni at Hearty in Chicago, which artfully introduced the Bun and me to the combination of ginger liqueur and Campari, our take is a little more boozy and omits vermouth altogether. I suggest serving this one up in a cocktail glass for the first round and on the rocks with a spash of soda for round two.

A toast to sunshine, warm air, and to all of our dear friends in the city and beyond. Cheers.

Combine in a large cocktail shaker:
1+ cup of ice
3 parts gin
1 part Campari*
1 part ginger liqueur

Shake until the ice is almost all melted and strain into two cocktail glasses. I never work with straight measurements with cocktails – I just determine how big the drinks should be, based on the glass. Sure, this takes some trial and error, but it is delicious trial and error. =)

*Campari is an Italian bitter orange liqueur. Drunk straight or on the rocks, its flavor can be off-putting to some. This is a good application to see if you actually like Campari in mixed drinks. In the hot days of summer, I can’t think of a more perfect drink than a little Campari and soda on ice.

30 March 2010
2 Comments
Basics, Beef, Entertaining, Herbs

Pot Roast


When spring-like weather hits in the end of March in Chicago, everyone talks about it with a kind of blissful hopefulness that the winter is finally over.  Wrong.  It always ends up getting cold again and there always seems to be at least a fleeting possibility of snow well into the first few weeks of April.  A warm weather tease is typical for this part of the country, but infuriating, nonetheless.  In an effort to ease the misery of cold, cold winds and grey skies that will inevitably fall up on us again (on a weekend, no doubt), I offer up a suggestion:  Pot Roast.
With any luck there will not be many more opportunities to battle the weather with comfort food, so I highly suggest digging into this one at some point soon.  Like any braised meat, it is a product of time, patience, and a little technique.  Keep in mind the following for this:  sear, saute, season, simmer, (sup).  The fifth “s” is a given, but I believe in the powers of odd numbers.  Because this is mostly a bringing together of ingredients, I’ll just relay what I do in prose, as opposed to a recipe form.
1 March 2010
2 Comments
Beef, Dinner, Meat, Pasta, Pork

Pasketti and Meatballs


Pasketti and Meatballs

There is something about this weather that makes me crave carbs and, specifically pasta.  Maybe my body needs the extra fuel to stay warm through the damp chill of late winter.  Maybe I have been denying myself pasta since the holidays and my belly just says, “okay, you are being ridiculous; make spaghetti now, please.”  Regardless of the impetus, I had to get down to making some sauce and pasta this weekend.

As a born-again omnivore and regular gym-goer, I pretty much eat an animal-based protein at every meal except breakfast.  It may not be the best course of action, health-wise, but I do try my best to keep my choices on the leaner side whenever possible.  Unfortunately, this meal was an exception to the lean meats, as was the previous Bolognese post.  Yikes!  All I can say is, enjoy a few less healthy meals now, while you can, and hit the gym a little more often.  In a couple of months, none of us will be in the mood for heavy pasta and meat dishes.

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