BBQ

FAST TRACKING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

COOKING MEAT OR ANY FOOD OVER AN OPEN FLAME OR ON COALS IS THE OLDEST COOKING METHOD IN THE WORLD, AND COOKING IN THIS WAY IS CREDITED FOR FAST TRACKING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.

Prior to cooked meats people would eat a lot of gathered foods like berries and roots which help with sugars for energy and keeping your alive but not much more. Any meat consumed would have been raw and hard to digest so only lesser amounts eaten. Gatherers often eat on the move, if you find a berry bush you can eat right there and then, so eating was often a solo activity. »

FIRE!!

When easy fire making techniques were developed people began to change rapidly. Fire meant you could now cook your meat, this meant you could hunt larger game, and cooked meat releases a lot more good fats for the brain helping the brain develop, protein for energy not just sugar, you could eat more so you got stronger and faster. Another key benefit of the prehistoric BBQ is that a big kill could feed alot of people, so a clan would come together to prepare the kill thus acquired skills in butchery, the manufacturing of clothes, tools from bones etc. Cooking and eating together would have also developed the language and communication skills, social skills and yes, procreation would have gone to a new level as a result. So next time you are sitting around the BBQ with a family and friends, looking lovingly into those flames remember that the BBQ was the most important driver of early civilisation development, a game changer for all mankind. Not unlike and probably more significant than TV connecting the world, computers, and the internet. We now know ancient Humans have been cooking meats since Ogg was a boy, (Ogg being a caveman’s son) but they say the first records of BBQing were made when Christopher Columbus went to the Caribbean and notices tribes cooking meat then drying them in the sun to preserve it, they called this process barbacoa, which the Americans language pronounced is BBQ.

HAPPY BBQ SEASON….

BBQ ASPARAGUS NICOISE SALAD

A fresh fast and fabulous dish for your next BBQ - fresh tuna and asparagus only take minutes to cook on the BBQ to create the base for this yummy main meal salad.

Cook Time: 15 mins Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS 8 chat potatoes 2 bunches asparagus, woody ends removed 2 x 300g tuna fillets 2-3 tsp olive oil 4 eggs, hardboiled, peeled and halved 12 baby truss tomatoes 2/3 cup Kalamata olives 1-2 baby Cos lettuces 1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves 6 anchovy fillets, drained and torn Fresh parsley or basil leaves, to serve Quince Glaze Dipping Sauce 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon red vinegar 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Black pepper and lemon juice to taste METHOD 1. Prepare dressing: Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. 2. Steam or boil potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside to cool. 3. Pre heat BBQ or cast iron grill pan. Lightly coat asparagus and tuna fillets with a little olive oil and sear each side 2-3 minutes until lightly coloured. Take care not to over cook so tuna is rare inside and asparagus is just tender but still bright green. 4. Remove from pan and set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Cut tuna into diagonal slices and cut asparagus spears in half. To serve, arrange all ingredients on a serving platter. Just before serving drizzle prepared dressing over salad, season with freshly ground black pepper and scatter with fresh parsley. TIPS • 1 X 425g can drained tuna in oil may be substituted for fresh tuna steaks – great for the lunchbox. • For this recipe to be gluten free, avoid using stocks, sauces and condiments containing wheat. Take care to check ingredient labels on all products you use. • For those who don’t need to avoid gluten, try tossing pieces of toasted garlic Ciabatta bread through salad just before serving.

Plant based