the 941

SERVES 4

Wild hog country rib ragù

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 wild hog country ribs
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced paper-thin
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup dry white wine
1½ cups canned whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Rinse ribs, pat them dry, then season well with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed enamel pot. Brown ribs thoroughly on all sides, working in batches. Remove ribs and reserve, with juice. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic (and more oil if necessary). Sauté till the vegetables are soft and translucent. Add rosemary, red pepper flakes (if desired), wine and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then gently place the ribs back in the liquid. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook until the meat pulls away cleanly from the bones (about 2 hours). Add cool water (not more wine) if the sauce becomes too thick.
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After reading through Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn’s Charcuterie a couple years back, I’ve ached to try the complicated task of stuffing meat, fat and seasonings into hog intestines. The book is not only a how-to guide, it’s a love poem to the simple and lost art of making sausage in the home. And Ruhlman’s text is so down-to-earth, it seemed like making my own would be a snap.

Maybe not. On one hand, it’s just a recipe that use meat and seasonings like anything else. But you also need tools, both soft and hard, and a sense of culinary exploration that goes way beyond preparing a typical Sunday night supper.

The Tools:

GRINDER If you have one of those old metal contraptions that clamps onto the counter, it’ll work. If not, you can buy one, but chances are if you’re the type of person who wants to dive into sausage making you likely have a standing mixer. Buy a grinding attachment for your mixer for about $60; it’ll make things a lot easier.

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Julie Marriott of Sew It’s For You just had a baby boy (and he’s cute as hell!) and guess what folks?! She is working both Atomic shows on Saturday 12/12 and Sunday 12/13. I can barely scoop poop out of the litterbox (but I do because I am civilized) but I can’t imagine working a crazy craft show after having a young ‘un (just wanted to sound a bit countryfied this morning). So to all you mama’s and papa’s I salute you. Ok back to the crafty world. Julie is a delight and embroiders a sweet dish of amusing images. Check out her interview below:
Name of Business/Website Address? Sew It’s For You http://www.sewitsforyou.etsy.com/

What City/State do you reside in? Tarpon Springs, Florida

Is this your first time attending Atomic or have you done the show before? This is my 3rd time attending Atomic and the 2nd I have been in it.

What do make and plan on bringing to Atomic? I make all hand embroidered items. This year I am planning on bringing all sorts of cheeky items to appeal to a variety of folks. There will be some “adult” pieces and loads of great gifts for the holidays. I will also be filling custom orders.

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“It could have been a really ugly situation, and it’s turned into a really beautiful situation.”

The Kidney Koncert: A Benefit for Eddie Sager
5-10 p.m. Sun., Nov. 29, The Children’s Garden, 1670 10th Way, Sarasota, 330-1711, $25

Six months ago Eddie Sager got home from his job taking care of plants at The Children’s Garden, then headed out to his night job as a bartender at Cork out on St. Armands. During the drive he started feeling a sharp pain in his right kidney. He tried to ignore it, and focused on setting up the bar for service, but the pain became so great he could no longer stand up.

A co-worker rushed him to the hospital, where he received a battery of tests. After a painful six-hour visit, the diagnoses came back: Sager had a hernia, kidney stones in his left kidney and a tumor in his right kidney.

And no health insurance.

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— I’m sure you’ve heard by now City Manager Robert Bartolotta’s decision on the fate of Police Chief Peter Abbott and the Sarasota Police Department officers involved in the Juan G. Perez case (short version: Chief stays, and the cop caught on camera gets fired), but did you know you can download PDFs of all 3,000 pages of documents the Hillsborough Sheriff’s office delivered to Bartolotta as part of their investigation into the SPD’s handling of the case, all right from the city’s homepage? Cancel your plans, and settle in for a thrilling read!

— Last week saw an intensification of the offshore oil drilling debate. Supporters and opponents clashed at the Tiger Bay Club luncheon, and one expert (who spent 15 years with Shell) says there ain’t much out there anyway, at least around the Suncoast.

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Jen Renninger of Still Room Studio will be at Atomic’s Sunday 12/13 show. She recently contacted me which worked out perfectly because I was in need of a person willing to work a table split, not always an easy thing to finesse! Anyway, when I opened up Jen’s email and saw her beautiful illustrations, it was a no-brainer! I loved getting to know Jennifer better and you can, too. Still Room Studio interview begins now:
Name of Business/Website Address? Jen Renninger Illustration – Still Room Studio, portfolio: jenrenninger.com/ / shop: etsy.com/shop/pleasebestill

What City/State do you reside in? Tampa, FL

Is this your first time attending Atomic or have you done the show before? This will be my first time attending and showing! How exciting is that? I can’t wait.. It sounds like such a great event!

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Cliff Roles interviews Jeff Shaara

From our boy Cliff Roles:

Jeff Shaara, a descendant of Italian immigrants, was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey (”Shaara” was originally spelled “Sciarra”). He grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Criminology. From age 16, Jeff operated a rare coin business, first out of his home, then in a retail store. After moving to Tampa, Jeff became one of the most widely known coin and precious-metals dealers in Florida. In 1988, Jeff’s father, Michael Shaara, died, and Jeff made the decision to sell his business, and take over the management of his father’s estate.

In 1993, the film “Gettysburg” was released, which was based on his father’s classic novel, The Killer Angels. After the critical and commercial success of the film, Jeff was approached about the possibility of continuing the story, finding someone to write a prequel and sequel to The Killer Angels. After some considerable soul-searching, Jeff decided to try to tackle the project himself. The decision was difficult in many ways, but most challenging because Jeff had no previous experience as a writer.

In February, 2003, the major motion picture “GODS AND GENERALS”, based on Jeff’s first book, was released by Warner Brothers.

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Here’s how it works: Tell us why you deserve free tickets for a night with Lisa Williams in the comments section below, then email us your contact information. We’ll announce our winner on Wed., Dec. 2!

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— After five months on administrative leave, Sarasota Police Chief Peter Abbott will learn whether or not he will keep his job today, as the City of Sarasota prepares to release all 3,000 pages of the Hillsborough Sheriff’s investigation into the Sarasota Police Department.

— The man who will make the decision on Abbott’s future, City Manager Robert Bartolotta, gets mostly positive marks during his annual review before the Sarasota City Commission.

— As all that happens, the citizen review board created to oversee SPD actions in the wake of the Juan G. Perez fiasco receives its mandate and finalizes its membership.

— And in amazingly non-Sarasota-Police-Department-related news, Erin Murphy (aka Maid Mosephine, of Maid Mosephine and the Equines — who just happen to have a new EP out, by the way) has a guest blog post up on CL Contributing Writer Michael Hamad’s new music site, 4GBs. Check ‘er out.

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It’s a well-known fact that gay men tend to take better care of themselves than their straight counterparts. Add a great haircut, tanned and toned muscles, and fantasies start taking shape. Sometimes in Speedos. Let’s take two of these guys and make them a couple. The average income for gay men is higher than the average income for straight guys. So now we have two hot guys with a considerable amount of  money between them and they look great in skimpy thongs. The gay guys have no children — in most cases. They have no college funds to pay into. Or braces to make payments on. That makes for expendable income. Wouldn’t that be a great couple to attract to Sarasota? Either to vacation or to live?

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