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.