Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader loves to cook. He loves the preparation of food. He loves eating food. He loves just about everything about food. (And he watches the Food Network with his kids a lot too.)

Indeed, today he is cooking a Venison Ragu. What is a Ragu you say? Well, until the word “ragu” was hijacked by that worthless sauce product, a “ragu” was a type of thick stew made by italian peasants. Your Maximum Leader took a large chunk of venison offer to him as tribute from the good Minister of Agriculture out of the freezer and decided that it was going to become ragu.

Your Maximum Leader has cooked a venison ragu for the Smallholder and his family before. And he has used a number of other game meats to make ragus in the past. Upon further recollection, your Maximum Leader has made ragus containing: venison, beef, pork, veal, caribou, elk, buffalo, and wild boar. That, my minions, is a damned versitile recipe.

Why is your Maximum Leader writing about food today? Well, he found a post from the ever thoughtful and always interesting Bill Keezer. After reading this peice your Maximum Leader thought that Bill was just spot on. Buffets are ugly. (And they bring out the worst angels of our dietary nature.) And presentation counts! Your Maximum Leader has thought before that one of the reasons he so enjoys Japanese food (served at a high class place - like Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant) is the extreme care and thought put into presentation.

Carry on.