There is no summer without summer vegetable soup! Today was a big day for me and as a result, I’m proud to introduce to you the recipe for traditional Finnish summer soup, kesäkeitto.
Recipe for Finnish Summer Vegetable Soup
For 4-5 people
- 1,25 l / 5,3 cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3-5 carrots
- 1 cauliflower
- 4-6 potatoes
- 1 handful of fresh pea pods
- 2-3 radishes (if available)
- 1 handful of fresh spinach
- 2 dl / 0,9 cup whole milk
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1-2 tbsp butter
Note! This soup is not about what vegetables you use – you can get creative with your summer soup.
The main thing is that you use fresh and seasonal veggies available in your area.
But let’s make this soup now!
Rinse and chop the vegetables while waiting for the water -with sugar and salt- to boil.
First, add the hardest vegetables, such as root vegetables like carrots. Let them boil for 5 minutes or so on medium heat. Add softer vegetables and let them boil until almost tender (about 5-10 minutes).When all veggies are cooked to tender, add fresh spinach.
Make the thickener by adding the flour into the cold whole milk in a separate bowl and whisking until smooth.
Add the flour-milk thickener into the soup and stir. In the end, add a knob of butter.
Don’t let the soup boil after adding the butter.
The traditional way to eat Finnish summer vegetable soup is to have it with a glass of milk and rye bread topped with butter and cheese. However, feel free to enjoy the soup as you like.
My cooking philosophy is that recipes are meant to be the inspiration and not to be followed to every detail – so feel free to get creative with the ingredients! Try and see what is the best amount of sweetness and thickness for you in this summer vegetable soup, or what combination of veggies you like the most.
I would also advise not to be too strict with the freshness of ingredients either. For example, my mom and I found a bag of pea pods in the freezer, and decided to add them to the soup. Even though they were not fresh from the garden we think they did not ruin “the soul” of the soup. So remember the relaxed attitude!
In the beginning, I told you that this day at my parents’ farm was a big day for me. Why so? Well, you can find that out by watching the following video I made during the day.
I recommend to sit back and watch the whole video where you can join me in the vegetable garden and see what it looks like inside the old Finnish sleeping shed, among other things. However, if you just want to know the reason why today was a special day for me, I will share it with you in this video.
Wishing you sunshine and delicious summer moments!
For the best experience, please watch this 360° video in Youtube app with virtual reality headset and remember to turn on HD! Tap on Youtube icon in the player below or open this link https://youtu.be/m1OLeF08R4M in your Youtube App.
Here are other soup recipes that I recommend to try out:
