Canadians are planning many celebrations for our 150th year, and guaranteed these events will revolve around lots and lots of food.
Expect to consume, for example, copious amounts of ultra-Canuck and super-delicious pea soup. Pea soup’s been around awhile. It would have fuelled French explorer Samuel de Champlain and his crew as they rolled in to found New France and Quebec City and more than 400 years later it’s still a stick-to-your-ribs Canadian favourite.
I’ve usually made pea soup with dried yellow splits so when a bag of whole yellow peas in a Red River Co-op caught my eye, I bought it. I was pleased to turn the package over and see a Manitoba company name on it too — Avion Harvest.
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Curious to hear more about this Neepawa-based business, I called the number on its website, and a few days later met its co-owners Tim Wiebe and Lewis Pohl.
Turns out Avion Harvest is actually an ‘old’ Manitoba food business going back some 70 years. The two Neepawa businessmen started it up again last year, after buying packaging equipment and other assets from its previous Carberry-based owner who used to sell whole yellow peas grown on the Prairies to Quebec customers. (Avion Harvest peas were flown east, hence the company name.)
Pohl and Wiebe say they hope to pick up some eastern customers again, but for now keep busy selling not only the whole yellow peas they buy, but also flax, lentils, white and pinto beans, and lentils. They’re sorted and packaged into 900-g bags in a small facility at Eden, Man.
Store managers approached have been happy to stock Avion Harvest, which is now found in 35 stores around Manitoba, including Co-op Marketplace, Save On Foods plus a few Bigway locations.
You can read more about this small western Manitoba company on its website at www.avionharvest.com.
Quebec-Style Yellow Pea Soup
You should soak whole yellow peas in cold water overnight to shorten cooking time but be careful not to leave them in water too long which can produce off-flavour.
- 2 c. whole yellow dry peas
- 1 c. carrots, finely chopped
- 1 c. celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 c. leeks, finely chopped
- 1-1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 8 c. chicken or vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 small smoked pork hock or meaty ham bone
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
To soak whole peas, cover with 3 inches of water and soak at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse; set aside. Cook onions until translucent over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and leeks and stir together until softened. Stir in the broth, pork hock, drained peas, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover the pot and simmer until peas are tender (about 3 hours). Add water if needed but pea soup should be thick. Remove ham hock and chop meat to return to soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: 8 servings
Lentil Granola Bars
- 2 c. whole yellow dry peas
- 2/3 c. shredded coconut
- 2 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1/3 c. pellet-like bran cereal
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3/4 c. lentil purée*
- 1/2 c. canola oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 c. melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Make sure rack is in centre of oven. In medium bowl, mix coconut, oats, brown sugar, cereal and cinnamon. Add lentil purée, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix until dry ingredients are just moistened. Spread over a 10-1/2×16-inch non-stick cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. While bars are still warm, drizzle chocolate over top and cut into bars.
*Lentil purée: Rinse and drain a 19-ounce can of lentils. Place in food processor, add 1/4 cup hot water, and purée until the mixture is very smooth, adding more water in small amounts to reach desired consistency, similar to baby food, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. Refrigerate or freeze unused lentil purée for your next batch!
Makes: 35 bars
Energy: 137 caloriesProtein: 3 gFat: 6 gSaturated Fat: 2 gCholesterol: 5 mg
Carbohydrates: 19 g 6 per centFibre: 3 g 12 per centSodium: 19 mg per centPotassium: 123 mgFolate: 18 mcg 8 per centCalcium: 17 mg 2 per centIron: 1 mg 6 per centCalories from Fat: 39 per cent
