Another One Bites the Dust

As has been our standard procedure over the last few days, we were camping the RMOC gate in Hemin and chased a gang into RMOC and the surrounding area. On our return to Hemin, one of our scouts reported a Scorpion jumping into system. The returning forces quickly aligned and warped to the Scorpion’s location, but the team on the gate had already had the battleship well in hand. The call went out loud and clear over Vent. “Cyno Up”. The Scorpion pilot, for reasons I’ll discuss later, opened a cynosural field, and in jumped a lone Archon.

Agony pilots, whether by design, intent, or God-Given rights, are not foolhearty. When the Archon pilot yelled in local, “Dead Meat”, I’m certain each and every AGONY pilot trembled…

As they locked down the carrier without hesitation and brought the battle right down on his blasted ship. There wasn’t a moments hesitation on anyone’s part. That carrier had sealed his own death warrant, and AGONY was going to be the Executioner. The Scorpion was dispatched before the Archon finished loading grid, and all ships turned their attention on the Carrier. It was quickly identified by our pilots that we were going to need to drain his cap if we were to have success on taking him out. Pilots rotated in and out of ALS swapping ships for more DPS and those who could drain his cap. All during this time, our fearless pilots kept the carrier jammed, damped, webbed, warp disrupted…essentially shutting him down completely. On several occassions, the carrier kicked out fighters, which were quickly dispatched and sent to the scrapheaps of EVE. The fight lasted roughly nine minutes. On a few (rare) occassions, some ships capable of lending the carrier pilot came into system, only to turn tail and run as soon as they saw what we were about.

The carrier died a slow death, but a glorious one (from the perspective of AGONY pilots at least). Unknown to us, at the time, there were three other carriers that were suppose to come into HEMIN with the Archon pilot, but did not. It’s unclear whether our quick dispatch of the cyno pilot, unwillingness to hot drop, game mechanics, or some other reason prevented the additional carriers from coming into the fray, but it didn’t matter, AGONY would have enjoyed the combat all the same.

A link to the Archon Pilots KB: http://exe.vizarts.de/kb/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=55983

And something you might find equally amusing, a link to a MP3 file that the pilot’s corp made: http://eve.drome.nl/speedies_balls_by_chez.mp3

All in all, a nice outing for the pilots of AGONY. I tip my hat to my fellow pilots, “Well done, well done indeed”

My Best,

Sawmill Gravy

Sawmill Gravy

Prep Time:
5 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
20 min

Serves:
2 1/2 cups gravy

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet. When done, remove sausage from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time. Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens. (Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that’s where the flavor is.) Check seasoning, add crumbled sausage and serve over toast or biscuits.

Red Wine-Braised Beef Shanks with Mushrooms and Basil-Mashed Potatoes

Red Wine-Braised Beef Shanks with Mushrooms and Basil-Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time:
30 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
5 hr 30 min
Serves:
4 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 (1-inch thick) “soup cut” beef shanks, about 3 pounds total
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms, stems trimmed
8 cloves garlic, minced, or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 bay leaves
8 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
2 1/2 cups dry red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Basil Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows
Sauteed Fennel and Leeks, recipe follows

In a large Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over high heat until very hot.
Season shanks on both sides with the Essence, transfer to Dutch oven and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer shanks to a plate and set aside. Add onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 7 minutes.
Add garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary and cook for 2 minutes. Add red wine and stir well with a wooden spoon, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any bits. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, beef stock, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper and stir well to combine.
Return shanks to the Dutch oven and bring sauce to a boil. Cover Dutch oven, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 5 hours, stirring occasionally, or until shanks are tender. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately, with sauce ladled over Basil-Mashed Potatoes. Serve with Sauteed Fennel and Leeks.

Basil-mashed Potatoes:
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup sour cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped basil

In a saucepan combine potatoes with enough water to cover by 1 inch and add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Drain potatoes in a colander. Add butter and milk to the saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Return potatoes to the saucepan, add sour cream, and mash with a potato masher until desired smoothness is achieved. Season with more salt (if necessary) and black pepper. Stir in chopped basil and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings

Sauteed Fennel and Leeks:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bulb fennel, top removed, cored and sliced thinly
1 large leek, greens removed, cleaned and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon butter

Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Add fennel and saute for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add leeks and season with salt and pepper. Saute until fennel and leeks are tender, another 4 minutes. Add lemon zest and butter and toss. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Smothered Chicken and Onions

Smothered Chicken and Onions

Ingredients

* 1 large fryer, cut into serving pieces (about 3 1/2 pounds)
* Salt and cayenne
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 8 cups julienne onions (about 2 1/2 pounds)
* 1 cup thinly sliced bell peppers
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 cup white wine
* 1 cup whole kernel corn
* 1 cup young sweet green peas
* 2 cups sliced mushrooms
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Instructions

Season the chicken pieces with salt and cayenne. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown, cooking for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Add the onions. Season with salt and cayenne. Stirring constantly, wilt and brown the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned particles, about 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and bay leaf. Continue stirring, again scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned particles, for about 15 minutes. Add the wine, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Stir occasionally and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Add the corn, peas, and mushrooms, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley. Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Hunter’s Minestrone

This is a wonderful soup, it’s even better the next day when the flavors all have a chance to meld.

Hunter’s Minestrone

Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
hr min
Cook Time:
40 min
Serves:
6 servings

2 quarts chicken stock
1 head garlic, halved
1/2 pound small rigatoni
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
3/4 pound loose sweet Italian pork sausage
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
Coarsely ground black pepper
12 slices baguette
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Combine the stock and halved garlic head in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste; strain out the garlic. Keep warm.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni.

Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sage, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. Chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. Add to the saucepan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.

To the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. Drain and stir into the simmering soup. Add the parsley, and salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.

To serve, preheat the broiler. Put the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and float a couple of the baguette slices on top.

Sunday Dinner Pork Roast with Mushroom Gravy

I made this last week, it turned out wonderful.  The amount of garlic is not for the faint of heart.

Sunday Dinner Pork Roast with Mushroom Gravy

Prep Time:
30 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
3 hr 45 min
Serves:
6 servings

1 (5 to 7 pound) pork loin or butt
1 whole head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
Emeril’s Red Hot Sauce or other hot sauce
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

For the Gravy:
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch green onions, green and white parts chopped separately
2 cups rich beef stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound button or cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Pierce the roast all over with the tip of a paring knife and stuff one clove of garlic into each hole, followed by a few drops of hot sauce. Sprinkle on all sides with Essence and garlic powder and rub into the meat. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the roast evenly on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and enough water to come 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Add the teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine and loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and add a more water as necessary to come 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Continue to cook until very tender, about 3 1/2 hours total cooking time.

Meanwhile, to make the gravy, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until milk chocolate-colored roux is formed, about 15 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and the white part of the green onions, and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the beef stock and heavy cream and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender and golden brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and teriyaki sauce to the gravy and simmer until flavors come together, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Remove the roast from the oven and transfer to a platter. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Strain the pan juices through a fine mesh strainer into the gravy and simmer until heated through and thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve over the carved roast.

Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe Collection – Red Beans and Rice

New Orleans-Style Red Beans and Rice
 
Ingrediants:
 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 large ham shanks
6 ounces smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (1 cup)
1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted through, soaked overnight and drained
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
8 to 10 cups water
Steamed rice
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper and thyme for about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, ham and sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the beans, garlic, and enough water to cover the contents in the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Add more water if the mixture becomes dry and thick. Remove the shanks and debone.  Dice pieces into bite-sized chunks.  Use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the mixture against the side pf the pot. Return ham to pot.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the mixture is creamy and the beans are soft. Add more water if it becomes too thick. The mixture should be soupy but not watery. Remove the bay leaves and serve with steamed white rice.
I made this on Monday, it’s a usual dinner down in Louisianna.  It’s a can’t miss recipe and a family favorite of ours.