Take Your Pulse and Make Greek Fava

Take your pulse. Not that pulse. I'm talking lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas. The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses.

That's something we can celebrate here on the Canadian prairies, where we grow more pulses than most places on earth.

But we don't eat them, not nearly enough. Almost all our pulse crops are shipped to other countries where lentils, chickpeas and split peas are everyday fare. Tonight in India, families will sit down to a meal of masoor dal. In Spain, they’ll enjoy spicy lentejas con chorizo. And in Chile, they’ll fill up with a bowl of lentils de la Abuela, like grandma used to make. All with lentils from Canada.

Not only do we grow a lot of lentils (a record harvest of 2.2 million tonnes in 2015) we grow more varieties of lentils than anywhere else. In India, they prefer small red lentils. In Chile, it's large green lentils. And in Spain, it's pardina lentils also known as Spanish brown. We grow them all here, and more, such as little black beluga lentils, so named for their resemblance to the black caviar of the beluga sturgeon. Chefs love them.

The United Nations has proffered several reasons for declaring 2016 the International Year of Pulses. In developing countries, pulses account for 75 percent of the daily diet. Yet, worldwide, pulse consumption is declining. The UN would like to reverse this trend.

Pulses are a good source of protein yet less stressful on the environment than raising livestock. Pulses provide 20-25 percent protein by weight, double that of wheat at 10 percent and about half that of meat at 30-40 percent.

However, growing pulses uses much less water than raising livestock. According to the UN, a kilogram of lentils requires 50 litres of water while a kilogram of chicken takes more than 4,000 litres and a kilogram of beef consumes a whopping 13,000 liters of water.

Pulses help reduce food waste, which the UN estimates at one-third of all food produced worldwide. Since pulses are a simple food and stored dry, there is little lost in processing and much less spoilage compared to vegetables, fruits and meat.

The UN also notes that pulse crops replace nitrogen in the soil, reducing the use of petro-chemical fertilizers. This is a prime reason why pulse crops are so popular in Western Canada – they make economic and environmental sense when included in rotation with other crops such as wheat, flax and canola.

Pulses fit with another UN initiative: eliminating world hunger by 2030 while, at the same time, tackling climate change and improving sustainable farming. If we all start eating more pulses in 2016, that goal will be easier to reach.

Of course, I don't need to recommend more hummus and lentil soup. We've got that covered. But, I will propose this recipe for yellow pea fava, a Greek mezze (appetizer) made with yellow split peas. If you like hummus, you'll like this. 

Yellow Pea Fava
2 cups yellow split peas
2 cups finely chopped red onion
1 fat clove garlic, finely chopped
4+ cups water
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Put split peas, 1 1/2 cups red onion, garlic and 4 cups of water into a medium pot. The water should cover the peas. Bring to a gentle boil. Skim the foam that rises to the surface.

Reduce heat, cover pot and gently simmer for 1.5-2 hours, until the split peas are completely broken down. Check periodically, adding more water if needed to just cover the peas.

Once the peas are fall-apart soft, cook uncovered until the liquid has evaporated and the peas are thick and bubbly. Stir frequently to prevent sticking to the pot.

Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and 3/4 cup olive oil. Stir vigorously until well mixed. Cover pot with a tea towel and leave to cool.

To serve, scoop pea purée into a serving dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup red onion. Sprinkle with parsley. Drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Serve with bread, pita or crackers.

The UN website includes many more pulse recipes from around the world.

(This article first appeared in Grainews.)

Split Pea Soup

I'm cleaning out my pantry, which explains why I'm making a pot of split pea soup in July. Or maybe I'm just channeling next winter with a hearty soup and a travel guide to Greece. Whatever the motive, this soup is so easy to make, there's really no recipe:

Boil one smoked ham hock in water until the meat is just about falling from the bone. (I bought the ham hock at Prairie Meats in Saskatoon.) Cook two cups yellow split peas in water (green peas are good, too) with one chopped onion and a bay leaf until the peas are soft. (I did this in a crock pot.) In a soup pot, combine split peas and the meat from the ham hock. Also a few chopped carrots. Top up with water and cook until the carrots are done. Season to your taste with @ 2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Done! Like most soups, it's better the second day.

Prairie Kitchens - Split Pea Soup with Crubeens

Pigs have four of them. Feet. No pioneer would let that go to waste. While there isn't a lot of meat on pig's feet, it is tasty meat and the bones thicken a pot of soup.

Crubeen is the Irish name for pig's feet. This recipe includes split peas and that most traditional Irish food, the potato. Each bowl of soup is topped with croutons made from day-old bread. Now that's frugal!

Crubeens boiling in the base stock.

Split Pea and Crubeen Soup,

Week 30 & 31 - YELLOW PEA 'FAVA'

Saskatchewan Menu of the Week -- 7 November 2005

Breakfast – Yogurt and cherries
Lunch – Scrambled egg, a chunk of mozzarella cheese
Dinner – Bread with Yellow Pea 'Fava' Spread. Sausages. Cucumber.

YELLOW PEA ‘FAVA’
This is a fabulous Greek dish made with split yellow peas. It is served as a spread on bread. I found the recipe in Saveur magazine (Nov. 2004). I usually make half this recipe because it’s quite large, although it does freeze well. I purchased the organic split peas from the Cerridwen Farm at Medstead.

1 lb yellow split peas
2 large red onions, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2-3 T fresh lemon juice or 3-4 T red wine vinegar
1.5 C olive oil
2T chopped fresh parsley

Put the split peas, three-quarters of the onion and 7 cups of water into a medium pot. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Skim the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and gently simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 1-1.5 hours. Stir during the last 15 minutes of cooking to prevent sticking to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the pot from the heat. Vigorously stir in the lemon juice (or vinegar) and half the oil. Cover the pot with a clean towel and leave to cool completely. The purée will thicken as it cools. To serve, stir purée and scoop into a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley and the remaining onion. Drizzle with remaining oil. Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Cerridwen Farm

In the last 20 eyars, Saskatchewan has become one of the world's leading producers of lentils, chickpeas and split peas. The problem is, most people in Saskatchewan don't eat lentils, chickpeas and spilt peas. In fact, many pulse farmers don't eat the food they produce! It's shipped right off to markets overseas.

This is the experience of Cerridwen Farms of Medstead. The bulk of their organic pulse crops are sold in British Columbia in areas populated by immigrants from the South East Asia sho eat pulses every day. I put in a big order through Canada Post, which was delivered right to my door

Pronounced CARE-i-den, the name is a Celtic word referring to the moon and the harvest. The farm is a collaboration of the Dank and Haubold families. They sell many other products, including stoneground flours and mixes for pancakes and muffins.
306-342-4945.