Finnish Summer Soup (Kesäkeitto)
Kesäkeitto is like summer in a bowl. It's an almost magical soup - creamy and decadent but also light and fresh. The best part? This Finnish summer soup is so easy to make.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- ½ tbsp salt
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 1 potato
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk broccoli
- ½ head cauliflower
- ½ cup green beans
- 50 grams spinach
- 1 cup peas
White sauce
- 3 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Add enough water to cover the vegetables in a large pot. Add 1/2 tbsp salt and 1/2 tbsp sugar.
- Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook and finishing with the ones that are ready in minutes.Potatoes: 10 to 15 minutesCauliflower: 5 to 10 minutesBroccoli: 4 to 5 minutesCarrots: 4 to 5 minutesGreen beans: 4 to 5 minutesPeas: 2 to 3 minutesSpinach: 2 minutes
- While the veggies are cooking, heat another pot large enough to hold all the veggies. In that pot, melt 3 tbsp butter over low heat
- Mix in 1/4 cup flour. Stir well to mix for 2 to 4 minutes, continuing to whisk and keep it at low heat so it doesn’t burn.
- Slowly stir in 1 cup of milk, whisking and blending. Let it cook for another 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until thickened.
- Scoop out the cooked veggies and add them to the bechamel sauce. Add as much of the leftover vegetable water into the sauce as well – I only add about 2 cups. If you like the soup thinner, add more. If you like it thicker, add less.
- Stir it all together until mixed through.
- Turn off the heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with herbs, if you want. Parsley, chives, and dill all go wonderfully.
Notes
The veggies matter. Kesäkeitto is traditionally made with garden-fresh summer vegetables. But you can add other ones you want - mushroom, onion, sugar snap peas, and so one. Just keep in mind that freshness matters! Use seasonable, local veggies at their freshest.
Get everything ready first. Mise en place is essential to this recipe. Since you'll be adding in the veggies at different time intervals, you want to make sure they're all washed, peeled, chopped and ready to simply toss in.
For a creamier soup. Swap out half a cup of milk with cream. Just keep in mind that heavy cream, aka double cream, stands up to heat well and can be boiled. Single cream cannot - it will curdle.