A few months ago, I came across an article discussing Neanderthal veggie consumption that took such a tone of amazement that there’s archaeological evidence for such a thing that I wanted to do some research on it – especially since I had to admit that most of my knoweldge of the Neanderthal diet came from reading Clan of the Cave Bear. (My knowledge of early human diets is somewhat more academic – I didn’t study archaeology in undergrad, but I did study cultural anthropology, including modern forager societies.)

Anyway, this isn’t meant to be an extensive rundown of all of the evidence for and against the consumption of game meat, seafood, legumes, tubers, fruit, nuts, and/or wild grains by our pre-agrarian ancestors. But the more I read, the more I see that: A) Many archaeologists seem to have been more interested in what kind of meat our early ancestors ate than in what kind of veggies, which betrays the same bias that leads to the over-emphasis on hunting implicit in the term “hunter-gatherer”; B) As I suspected, there is no “typical” paleolithic diet. Humans are adaptable and omnivorous. We (like the cave bears we once worshiped) ate what we could find, kill or gather. That certainly included meat, but it included a variety of other foods, as well – something I think a lot of modern paleo enthusiasts have overlooked.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

It was, alas, too late.

So, in lieu of pictures, here’s the recipe (more or less) for spiced date and pecan-crusted catfish and balsamic greens.

Start with about a cup of pecan halves. Add three dates (sans pits – does that sound like romantic advice?), two or three cloves of garlic, a dash of salt, and a generous measure of garam masala. (I have two varieties in the cupboard. One contains more cumin, the other more black pepper. For sweeter dishes, like this one, I use the one with more pepper. If you don’t have garam masala, it’s a mix of sweet and savory spices – pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, clove and cardamom, maybe some saffron or nutmeg. It’s like a shortcut to yummy.) Pulse in a food processor until everything’s mixed – but try not to completely pulverize the pecans. Spread the mixture in a baking dish – mine’s 11X7. You might want to drizzle a little olive oil in there first, just to make sure nothing sticks. Lay two catfish fillets on top of the pecan mixture, then flip them over a couple of times until they’re completely coated. You might need to dig some of the mix out from under them and ladle it over the top. I sprinkled them with some peppercorns, fennel seed and a little more salt. (I’d stick with black pepper – I used a peppercorn mix, and we discovered the white pepper was still a bit crunchy at the end.) Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, covered.

As for the greens, they were cooked over a medium flame in a cast iron skillet with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a bit of salt, until they wilted. These were collards, but any greens you like would do. (And actually, I think the collards do better to be slow cooked – they don’t have a lot of moisture in them, so they don’t soften in the pan the way chard or spinach will.)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I watched the game tonight with a bunch of geeks and bellydancers, at the home of a New Orleans expat, and I kept hearing that old man sing. Wherever he is, I sure hope he saw every play.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I do have a couple of projects in mind for the new year, which I’ll fill you in on over the next few days, but for now – may 2010 be better for than 2009, whether 2009 was an excellent year or a terrible one.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

With Italian sausage.

And organic veggies.

And chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

All baked with a crust of breadcrumbs and shredded cheese.

Hey, I didn’t say it was good for you.

I just said it was good.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh