Kesäkeitto (Summer Soup)

Ingredients
6 Potatoes small to medium potatoes:  4 yukon gold if you’re in the states.
2 Leeks
3-5 Carrots
Water
1 Small cauliflower
A generous handful fresh peas, sugar snap peas or Mange Tout
Plenty of fresh dill, at least half a cup
3 Spring onions
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 - 5 Cups full fat/whole milk
Salt
Pepper
3 - 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
~1 lb Salmon fillet (optional)
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Prep

• Peel and medium dice potatoes and carrots.  Set them aside covered in water while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
• Slice the leeks, white ends only.
• Break the cauliflower in to small florets.
• Trim the peas/mange tout as appropriate
• Chop the dill, divide in half
• Slice the spring onions, white ends only.
• Remove the salmon skin and cut the salmon in to cubes.

You can save the green parts of the leeks/spring onions for stock, and the salmon skins can be fried to be a crispy treat.

Instructions

1. Melt the butter/heat the olive oil in a large pot at medium/high heat.  Add the sliced leeks, saute for 3-4 minutes until slightly soft.
2. Drain the water from the potatoes/carrots and add them to the pot and season with salt and pepper.  Add enough water to just and just cover, heat to a boil.  Cook until they are slightly soft, “al dente.”
3. Add half of the dill, cauliflower pieces and the Peas or Mange Tout.  If necessary, add enough water to cover the vegetables and boil until the cauliflower is just about soft.
4. Mix the flour with 1 cup of the cold milk and add to the pot.  Let it cook a minute or two until a little thickened.
5. Add the remaining milk, remaining dill, spring onion and salmon.  Stirring frequently (to stop the milk from burning), heat until just under boiling (do not let it boil as that will cause the milk to separate).  The salmon will cook during this period.  Taste, and season with salt/pepper as necessary.  
6. Add red pepper flakes if desired.  This is not a hot dish, so keep it light:  not enough to change the flavour profile, but enough to make the warmth last.
7. Serve with bread and butter, preferably rye.

This is a very simple meal, relying on fresh vegetables and dill to provide most of the flavour.

There’s a number of things that could be done to change the flavor profile (using vegetable stock instead of water or even using the water that the potatoes/carrots were stored in, potato starch or another thickener instead of plain white flour, additional herbs, cream or something thicker instead of whole milk), but this is the recipe I got from my mom and I haven’t played around with it yet.  Keeping the amount of water as low as possible helps improve the creaminess of the finished product.

I think there’s something lovely about the simplicity of the ingredients:  This isn’t a recipe that comes from a fully stocked kitchen and a chef with everything at their fingertips, this is something that comes from a working farm in Finland and just the resources immediately available. The salmon really is a luxury in that regard, but a common protein in the country and it adds real depth to the flavour.

The red pepper flakes are a personal touch from my mom, a nod to my parents experience living in Asia and Africa.