Game 28 - a recipe for pâté

Game 28  -   How Pâté is made in Belgium.

My 2nd game for our local small Leauge (well, it has 18 Players, but we don't use the Big League system) is against Jona, a newcomer, a joungster, a guy that made a fool out of me...  Using the Butchers under Ox for his 4th or 5th game, he said.  What I didn't realise is that this youngster did his homework...

Any of you know how Pâté is made?  Yes?  Well that's how I felt... as the grinded meat in a pâté (feel free to skip the next part, it's basicly a recepy for Pâté with brewers)

You really don't know how pâté is made?  Well you take some bacon - coming from parts of the throat, and the belly, but any part will do as long as it's bacon - some liver, and some meat coming from the shoulder of a pork for structure in the pâte. (That's all my brewers I fielded) 

Mix in some herbs & spices (juniper, pepper, laurel, mosterd, salt, nutmeg), onions and garlic.  (The game the butchers brought)

You also need an egg, broth and a brew of (preferably dark) ale. (The blood sweat and tears I shed to escape my fate, or attempt to anyway)

Step one: put the bacon in a cutter and let rip.
Step two: Crush the juniper.
Step three: prepare the liver (remove fleece like parts) and throw it in a cutter with the crushed juniper and laurel.
Step four: cut the meat from the pork shoulder into pieces of about an inch.
Step five: chop up the onion and garlic and stew it in molten butter until they start looking a bit yellowy.
Step six: throw it all in a bowl and add the egg (without the shell of course) mix with your hands until you get a smooth mass of raw meat.

Step seven: It's time for the herbs, spices, broth and the brew.
Step eight: dress a baking mold with some leftover bacon slices, throw in the smooth meat mass and top it off with some juniper and a single leaf of laurel
Step nine: close the lid of the baking mold if it has one, or cover with tinfoil.
Step ten: prepare it 'au bain marie' at 150 °C for 1 hour.
Step eleven: remove the lid (or tinfoil) and turn up the heat till 180°C and wait for another 15 minutes.
Step twelve: Cool down, put in the fridge overnight and enjoy with some salad on a slice of dark bread...

Well...  the steps above conclude the game really, but I'll drag in some guild ball references so you can relate better...  Let's start off with the teams we played:

I fielded another Tapper line-up with Scum, Hooper, Stave, Mash and Friday. 

I went up against a classic Ox-team with Princess, Boiler, Brisket, Boar and Shank.

Let the game begin.

Step one:  (put the meat in the cutter)  Here I kicked with Stave and followed with most of my brewers towards that same spot.  I failed to take out one of his players with Tapper, overextending Tapper thinking Jona, as a new player, wouldn't figure out how to kill my team.  Stave failed to split up the butchers with a barrel lob, but I didn't worry too much. I was wrong.

In turn two Boar came up, took Tapper out. Ox, Princes, Boiler were on that same side, Shank was there too.  All ready to turn on the cutter.  I tried hiding behind the forest, but got pushed in and one by one my team got taken out.  I managed to save the cat and Hooper, Mash survived a little longer due to Jona forgetting about UM, but there were just too many butchers there.

Step two: (Crush the juniper)  I was well behind now 10-0 but had the ball and the butchers were all on one side, appart from Brisket, who got crushed. 10-2.

Step three: (prepare the liver and activate the cutter again) Having the ball didn't help me at all.  In my head I had it all planned, generate momentum, let them come, pick a target with Stave, Barrel it in, win the momentum race through passes and kill the target I barreled in next turn.  Only, Stave didn't come through, I missed two passes, one of them knocking the ball off the field right into Boars feet...

Step four: (cut the meat) Boar passed, dodged into range and started cutting away on my brewers again.  I lost 12-2 

Step Five: (the onions) The taste of defeat is as vile in my mouth as the smell of stewed onion is sweet in the nostrills.

Step Six: (mix it and add the egg) I gathered up my brewers and stowed them away in my case.  Pondering where I went wrong.  I know I can't go toe to toe with the butchers, then why did I do it?  I underestimated my opponent, that's what happened.

Step Seven: (herbs spices broth and brew) I make a mental note to never underestimate anybody again, EVER. 

Step Eight: (let's cook) I actually long for another game against Jona and his Butchers, to consume the pâté he made of me today and wash it down with a good pint of ale.  Or in my case, Duvel.

Step Nine: (Turn on the oven) After the game I had a nice chat, not about the game.  Bonding, making friends, enjoying the community.

Step ten: (bain marie) on the way home, I wonder how I could have played and how I should have played, but regret comes to late.

Step Eleven: (let a crust come on top of it) I shrug my shoulders and put away the cold defeat.  It's a lesson learnt. 

Step Twelve: (cool down) after the cooldown, I wrote this report.  Not in my usual style, but I hope in a way still amusing.

That's it.  See you next time!
Bob Out.