Baltic cuisine loves milk and dairy, it is an essential part of their culture. They use milk from cows, sheep and goats. The region is know for organic milk and milk products from animals that graze on the mountains. This is one of those recipes that highlights the delicious milk from the region. Also check out this delicious Milk ice with blueberries and hazelnuts from this region and cookbook.
For this recipe take care to source a great organic and flavorful milk. The soup is very simple, and highlights this ingredient. In addition, the vegetables used should be of the best quality, fresh and as tender as possible, usually found in good farmer's markets.
The soup is delicate with subtle and delicate flavors. The soft milk is perfect with the baby vegetables that add mild flavors to the soup. This is the apt summer soup, very little cooking time and standing in front of the stove, fresh ingredients and light. Perfect for those elegant dinners outside on your porch.
I udes red cabbage for this soup. It gave it a beautiful light lavender hue that was special. However, you can also use the sweet, pointed Hispi cabbage or plain cabbage that will leave the soup white and just as pretty. This is a wonderful cookbook of recipes from the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It is filled with recipes that are both traditional and contemporary. I will admit that I do not know much about the cuisine from this region, and this book is educating me. It is a beautiful book with stunning photographs of the land, the people and the dishes.
For more recipes from this wonderful cookbook, click here.
Ingredients:
4 baby potatoes, scrubbed, skin-on, and halved or quartered
2 baby carrots, halved or cut int small cubes
3 cups water
1/2 cup tender cabbage, Hispi, green or red, thinly sliced
8 asparagus, woody parts peeled and halved horizontally
10-12 baby green beans, end trimmed and left whole
1/4 cup peas, frozen ok
Salt, to taste
White pepper
2 cups milk
Dill sprigs, to garnish
Parsley, minced, for garnish
Add the potatoes and carrots to the water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 12-14 minutes till the potatoes are just cooked through.
Add the cabbage and beans and simmer for another 3 minutes to blanch the cabbage. You do not want to cook the cabbage to a mush.
Heat the milk on the stove till just steaming, do not boil. This releases the aromas from the milk, but you do not want it to start forming a cream on top.
Add the asparagus, and peas and simmer for 2-3 minutes till the asparagus is just cooked through. Add the milk and bring to a point just before it starts to simmer. Do not boil the soup after adding the milk, it will split.
Take off the stove and add the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately topped with dill or parsley.