Читать книгу Down to the River and Up to the Trees: Discover the hidden nature on your doorstep - Sue Belfrage - Страница 13

Nyponsoppa, or rosehip soup, is a traditional Scandinavian favourite that I used to enjoy as a child when we lived in Sweden for a few years. It’s made from the bright orangey-red fruit of the dog rose (Rosa canina), which grows wild in hedgerows. The soup is served as a snack, or as a dessert with almond biscuits on the side.

While you can make the soup from freshly picked rosehips, it’s much more usual to make it from dried hips. Pick your own in the autumn and dry them slowly for a few hours on a tray in the oven on a very low heat. (You can see why the Aga was invented in Sweden.) When you’ve taken the dried rosehips out of the oven, let them cool and store them in an airtight container somewhere dry. If stored well, they should last a couple of years – so it’s worth getting your supplies in.

Serves 4

500 g (1 lb 1 oz) dried, whole wild rosehips

1½ litres (50 fl oz) water

150 g (5 oz) sugar

1½ tbsp potato flour (or cornflour)

Double/whipped cream, to serve

When you’re ready to make your soup, soak the dried rosehips in half of the water for a few hours or overnight. Then cook them in the same water, over a medium heat in a large saucepan, until they are soft and sticky, which should take about 25 minutes.

Blend the rosehip mixture with a stick blender or in a mixer, then strain through a fine sieve and return the liquid to the saucepan. Add the rest of the water and stir in the sugar. Mix up the potato flour or cornflour with a little water and pour the mixture steadily into the soup, stirring it in.

Cook until the soup thickens, then remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool a little. Ladle the lukewarm soup into bowls and swirl through a little double cream or add a dollop of whipped cream before serving.