Many years ago, on one summer solstice, I went to Sweden with some work colleagues to do a bike race around a lake in a small town called Mottala. The race was 300 km long and our departure time was during the few hours of darkness, at around 2am (in that time of year, the sun is up 2o or so hours a day in Scandinavia). It was also about 12 degrees Celcius and raining. Sounds gruesome I know, but it was actually quite the adventure and to this day, I only remember the good parts. Every 50 kms or so, there was a pit stop with a first aid and massage tent, coffee, tea and tons of food where we could rest and recup. Where food is concerned, my fondest food memory (apart from the water bottle and big glass of Carslberg beer everyone got at the arrival point) was blueberry soup. It smelled like heaven and was so comforting served warm – a godsend on that freezing cold and wet day. Later, I visited Sweden again and when I asked about this soup, was told that it could also be served chilled in summer. So here it is, just in time for a midsummer night.
Ingredients
- 4 cups blueberries (I sometimes mix blueberries with strawberries)
- 3 cups water
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Ingredients
- In a large saucepan, place the blueberries, water, cinnamon and sugar. Combine and let simmer on medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
- Take a few spoonfuls of the blueberry juice out and mix it in a small bowl or ramekin with the cornstarch. Set aside.
- Remove from heat and pour 2/3 of the blueberry soup into a blender (you can also use an immersion blender for this) and blitz it until smooth. Pour it back into the saucepan with the remaining third of soup.
- Place the saucepan back on the heat. Mix in the cornstarch mixture and let simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Let cool, cover and refrigerate.
- Serve chilled with some light cream or yogurt on the side
