Because Hope Never Fails

It snowed Saturday in Denver.  In fact it started snowing some time late that night and didn't quit even as Sunday become Monday.  It was cold and windy so the white powder blew until the cars parked along my street looked oddly misshapen by the drifts.  It must be an election year because twice I looked out to see a plow truck go by, a sure sign that the mayor wants our love.  The forecast is calling for more of the same and single digit temperatures this week.  Time to head for the store for milk and bread!  But exactly sixteen hundred and fifty three miles from my cold, white street is a cluster of green outfields and dirt diamonds that hold the hope of better things to come.

Saturday in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, was the first official workout for the 2015 New York Mets. I know( thanks Twitter) that there the air was filled with the sound of spring, the thwack of a pitch hitting the catcher's mitt, the thud of a fungo bat punching grounders out to short, and the clamor of kids pressed against the fence for autograph's.  Sure it was 75 degrees and I am guessing that the birds were singing, but those aren't the true sounds of spring for a baseball fan.  No the sweetest music to the ear this time of year is "pitchers and catchers report".  

It's been almost nine years since that fateful fall day in 2006 when Carlos Beltran inexplicably stood like a statue as that final strike three from Adam Wainwright sailed by him sending the Mets into a near decade of futility. Now for the first time since then, they have a real chance at the playoffs. Beltran is long gone now as is Tom Glavine who gave up 7 runs in the first inning on the last day of 2007 to dash Mets fans hopes that year. Gone to is Shea stadium and with it memories of the September collapse of 2008. Bernie Madoff is gone to the big house for the rest of his days and Mr Wilpon has no excuse to not spend money on the team.  Now us fanatics have placed our sports souls in the hands of a stable of young pitchers, led by Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.  We pine for the growth of Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares, and the health of David Wright. We pray that Lucas Duda will hit bombs like he did last year.  Oh just to see big Bartolo Colon put the ball in play so
he has to run to first.  Hope is alive again in Flushing!

In cities from San Diego to Cleveland there is reason for optimism.  Hey, even Cubs fans are hopeful that the curse may be broken soon.  That's the thing about baseball and why it's still our nation's first love.  Football may be more popular today, but baseball still tugs at our heartstrings because it coincides with the coming warmth and promise of summer.  No matter our teams prospects for the coming season we wait expectantly for that dormant bulb to show signs of life.  Today Coors Field in downtown Denver is quiet and snow covered, much like my adopted city's Rockies have been of late. But even here the stirrings of hope have begun in the newspaper and in line at the grocery store. "If Tulo stays healthy we have a chance".  Last year the Mets were in Colorado in April and we had a foot of snow; this year they don't come in until August.  Will they still be in contention by then?  We can only dream!

The other day I spent half an afternoon teaching my three year old twin nephews to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame".  Now when we are together they want to sing with me and shout on the line that goes "cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game".  I think it's time to teach them "Meet the Mets", if only to irritate their dad. He's a Giants fan.

Beautiful British Broadcasting

What do Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Doctor Who and The Office have in common? They were all originally brought to us by our friends across the pond.  Yes those Brits have been making good TV long before the Crawley family, Carson and the Dowager Countess were the Kardashian's of the 1920s.  And now thanks to online streaming you and I can enjoy their handiwork. Now let me be clear, if you are browsing around looking for quality TV for cold winter nights please look no further than Breaking Bad on Netflix.  If you've seen Walter White do his thing make sure you find a way to watch the 'Bad spin off Better Call Saul.  Once you're caught up on Albuquerque's finest, only then should you venture forth into the world of the British tube.  I won't preach to you about Downton (PBS) and Sherlock (Netflix) since you should already be on to those shows.  Instead, here is my best of the rest.

The Bletchley Circle

Have you recently seen the excellent movie The Imitation Game?  It's based on the story of  Alan Turing creating what amounted to be one of the first computers to break the German Enigma machine with which they secretly communicated during World War II.  If you have seen it and you're left wanting more then The Bletchley Circle is for you.  Set in post war England it stars four women who worked at the secret Bletchey Park during the war as code breakers. But now that the war is over and they are back being housewives and librarians, they are bored. So they turn to solving crime using the algorithms they used to figure out the Nazi code. The female dominated cast is a nice departure from your classic cop show. It's available on Netflix, unfortunately only two season were made.  On the bright side you can watch the whole show in one snowy weekend.

Happy Valley

Another show with a strong female lead (Sarah Lancashire) is Happy Valley.  Gritty is how I have seen it described, which is an apt description.  In the show a young woman's kidnapping for ransom is orchestrated by a guy with a lot to lose; but done with the help of the local thug life who have nothing to lose. At the same time the officer investigating the case is still struggling with the loss of her own daughter to suicide and its ripple effect on her life.  Much in the vein of The Wire then Brooklyn Nine Nine this show takes you on an emotional journey that may leave you wanting to kick some ass.  The first season of Happy Valley is available on Netflix with season two on the way.

Broadchurch

Broadchurch is another excellent police drama, albeit a slower, weirder, less grungy offering then Happy Valley.   It opens with the death of a young boy in a classic British coastal village, and spends the first season following two detectives in their quest to find a motive.  The show does a great job weaving in the baggage of small town life and cops personal issues with the main plot.  Don't plan on having a hero on white horse ride in to save the day in this one, but do plan on getting sucked into a good story. Season one can be found on Netflix and season two is currently being seen in the U.K, which means it will be here soon.

Note: There is an American version of this show that may try to sneak in front of your eye balls. Don't fall for it though; it's a disappointing knock off in the same vein as buying Oakleys at a flea market.

Moone Boy

For those of you who don't need any more drama in your life, I recommend Moone Boy. Written by and starring Chris O'Dowd as the imaginary friend of 12 year old Irish lad, Martin Moone (David Rawle), it is a fall on the floor laughing departure.  O'Dowd is really funny as both the angel and the devil on Martin's shoulder.  And as so many other English offerings this show has a great cast of quirky secondary characters that keep you laughing.  Two complete seasons of Moone Boy are available on Hulu, and I am sure will be a delight!

Grantchester

Currently available PBS.com Grantchester is a classic 1950s era feast in the vein of other British shows like Call the Midwife. Featuring a country vicar (priest) who likes the ladies, jazz, and has a propensity to solve crime this show is pretty soapy.  But since my man card is already in jeopardy over watching Downton Abbey I might as well plug this show.  Hey its fun, so enjoy it and don't judge.  Happy Watching!

Cookin' with Uncle Marv- Gumbo Addition

I've only been to New Orleans once but I've been in love ever since!  Actually I've spent more time south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish, a thin finger of land unlucky enough to be sandwiched between the Mississippi and the bayou.  Everything bad seems to happen to Plaquemines Parish! It's first in line to get pounded by hurricanes and soiled by oil spills.  I was there at Thanksgiving not long after Miss Katrina washed away cemeteries, beached fishing boats and parked refrigerators in trees.  We were working on the final touches of a new home that was already occupied and as we worked, the homeowner and her mom labored as well.  The meal they made had no turkey, no stuffing, or cranberries. Instead their stove was covered with gumbo, red beans and rice, and sweet potato pie.  It was torture being ten feet from that kitchen all day and smelling those bubbling pots.   And it was painful knowing that I wouldn't be there to get a bowl of that gumbo simmering on the stove.  This meal won't do that dinner in Palquemines justice but it was fun!

Step #1- Shop

Most legit Cajuns would probably take one bite of my gumbo, put down their spoon and walk out. Make no mistake, this is Yankee gumbo; in other words perfect for the ninety five percent of us who don't drink chicory coffee.  The two glaring omissions from this recipe are shrimp and file' powder. Shrimp because I have "the 'lergics" to seafood and file' powder because its impossible to get (file' powder is the powdered leaves of the sassafras tree used as a thickener). Also while many recipes call for chicken and sausage to compliment the shrimp we went double sausage because well, sausage is just better than chicken right?  The only things you need that probably aren't already in your pantry are sausage and okra.  Outside of the south okra will only be available in your local frozen food section (note: if you are thinking about not using okra please go read Giada's blog).  The sausage on the other hand, must be Anduullie and if it's made fresh, you're in luck.  If you have a local butcher or cutter that makes it, spend the money. If not, buy the best one in your local market as I did.

Step #2- Drink 

This step should not be taken lightly. Drinking in the kitchen is an essential part of the cooking experience.  When possible try to match your beverage to the meal; wine for Italian food and beer for the grill. Gumbo would logically call for a Hurricane which probably wouldn't be wise in the kitchen, so we went with Crispin Cider(shout out to Colfax, CA) with a shot of bourbon.  Music is also always included in every Cookin' with Uncle Marv episode.  You can use the same rule when picking music as with beverages.  We started out with some Buckwheat Zydeco and settled on Kings of Leon on Spotify.
                                                                                                        
Step #3- The Roux

Now that you have what you need and the right mood is set in the kitchen, it's time to cook.  First make sure you have a good pot; a Dutch Oven is the preferred vessel if you have one. Next, cut up and brown your sausage, making sure the bottom of your pot forms a nice layer of brown goodness. This is the basis of your roux.  A roux is basically a mix of fat and flour that along with the sausage fonde and a little beef broth you reduce slowly into a dark chocolate pudding look- a-like.

Step #4- The Rest

Once your roux is ready, throw in as many chopped onions, celery and peppers as your heart desires.  Let that soften and brown slightly and then add okra, tomatoes, hot sauce, lots of beef broth and spices (there are a lot of good recipes online so I won't bore you with the details). Then turn down the heat and wait.






Step #5- Drink

That's because you won't have much else to do for the next hour besides occasionally stirring the pot and having hunger pangs.  At this point your work is done and it's time for the gumbo to do its job. Your only task besides having another Crispin is to add back in the sausage and some green onions about a half hour before you eat.  Make sure you don't take your creation off simmer for at least an hour.  If you can wait longer do, it's worth it!

Step #6- Enjoy

There is a saying in Eastern Kentucky that goes something like this; "it's so good you can't sit still to eat it".  I think it means your eating something that is so tasty that each time you take a bite you feel like jumping up and down.  You may well have that same reaction as you fill your bowl with rice and gumbo and take your first bite.  Its gooey, heavy, smokey, spicy, wonderful goodness within your grasp!  Make sure you have some Tabasco around to up the kick factor should you desire.


Be careful as you eat your gumbo! You may find yourself transported to a little town on the bayou on a sticky summer evening with frogs croaking in the swamps and bugs dying in the zapper.  There may be music, assuredly some booze, and craw fish cooking in a tin can on the fire. Enjoy!