This post is as much about a newstalgic update to the traditional Groundhog Day observance as it is a culinary muse. If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em? But never fear: “All will become clear!” as Sherlock Holmes always used to reassure Dr. Watson…
Groundhog Stew: Not mine. But submitted for your
approval by Skyler of weeattogether.com…
There are actually many ways to cook Groundhog. But only one seems to have captured the imagin-ations of devotées over the years. It’s time to expand your Groundhog consciousness. And, with that in mind – need we remind you, there’s only one way to predict the arrival of spring?
Remember the movie?
It’s characterized as a ‘rom-com’ by the movie-rating web-sites. But one review I just read was titles: ‘A Soul Redeemed’. That’s because – after something more than a thousand days reliving Groundhog Day, 1993, Philadelphia TV weathercaster Phil (played superbly by Bill Murray), finally finds his human-ity. He leaves his former curmudgeonly persona behind, gets the girl, learns to play the piano – and finally breaks the time loop. Movie critics still can’t decide if it’s science fiction or fantasy. I say it’s a damned fine movie…
Demonstrates my point…
Whatever genre the movie is, and whatever it’s supposed to mean… It puts a whole, new, modern face on the kitschy, cutesy observance. And it demonstrates the burning need to newstalgise the whole concept of Groundhog Day. I shall, therefore, endeavour to update both the ‘science’ behind the Groundhog’s prediction and the culinary angle, with starling new looks, and flavours…
The science
Most everyone knows, when the Groundhog sees his shadow on exiting is den on February 2, it’s supposed to signal 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, it means an early spring.
There is at our disposal, however, a completely new, web-enabled, supercomputer-generated, AI-assisted means of making the little furry forecaster’s prediction before he even wakes up. And it’s so sophisticated, it can tell you spring’s arrival date in your very own home town.
I refer, of course, to the MSN Satellite animated weather map:
This shot was taken earlier this morning, at 7:22 am – sunrise.
There’s Ottawa, smack in the middle. Not a cloud in the sky. Even earlier than that, I could have confidently predicted that any marmota monax which showed its face here would, in fact, see a sharp, inky-black shadow…
Culinarily speaking…
The traditional preparation for Ground-hog is stew or thick soup. May I propose a bevy of newstalgic updates?
How about a Classic 2-Crust Meat Pie? Groundhog Shepherd’s Pie, anyone? Wrap up a lovely Fleischstrudel (a sav-oury German/Austrian dish consisting of a seasoned meat filling wrapped in puff pastry or phyllo dough—and baked until golden and crispy) (pictured left).
My take
Make your very own prediction for the arrival of spring this year! Amaze your friends and family members with a new magical trick! Both in the kitchen and on the weather radar screen…
It’s about time Punxatawney Phil took his well-deserved pension. Wikipedia tells us: “According to the lore, there is only one Phil, and all other weather-predicting groundhogs are impostors. It is claimed that this one groundhog has lived to make weather prognostications since 1886…”
And just a reminder, from Bill Murray: Don’t drive angry!
~ Maggie J.