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