Mustikkakeitto (Finnish Blueberry Soup)

This is a recipe I make whenever I have wild blueberries around. It can be served chilled in the spring and summer or hot in the fall and winter. I adore the intense black-purple color of this soup. Traditionally, mustikkakeitto is served with the blueberries strained out and thickened with cornstarch. Cornstarch kinda creeps me out, so I just cook it down until it's thicker. I sometimes strain out the blueberries and set them aside as a jam, but this time I left them in for extra fiber and nutrients. Mustikkakeitto makes a beautiful breakfast, dessert, or beverage if you prefer the strained version.

It's essential to use wild blueberries for this recipe; I buy mine frozen from Walmart because it's near impossible to find fresh ones where I live. I sweeten my mustikkakeitto with a bit of coconut sugar, but it's possible to use any sweetener. The addition of a pinch of salt and citrus juice is essential to heighten the blueberry flavor, and they really take things to the next level. I used whole vanilla bean for this recipe, but you can use extract. Cinnamon and cardamom add depth and warmth to the flavor of the dish, and you can add as much or as little as you like of these. This recipe is really more of a starting point to give you an idea of the proportions I used, but I tweak things every time I make this recipe.

Mustikkakeitto

2 cups frozen wild blueberries

2 tbsp. coconut sugar

Juice of and peel of 1 orange

Juice and peel of 1 lime

1 tsp. vanilla bean or vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1. Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pan and simmer on medium low heat for 45 minutes.

2. Taste as you go, and adjust to your preferences if you like things more or less sour/sweet/spiced. 

3. After things have sufficiently thickened, you can strain out the liquid into a separate container if you prefer this dish without the whole blueberries.

4. Serve in a bowl or glass with a swirl of cream or dollop of greek yogurt.

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