The best recipes for frosty days: coconut salmon soup, sweet maritozzi buns and spicy cocoa

Try seasoning traditional Nordic salmon soup with Thai spices, baking sweet Italian maritozzi buns instead of Finnish Shrovetide buns and boosting hot cocoa with cardamom and chili flakes. We guarantee you’ll like these winter delicacies with a twist!

FOOD IS ONE of the easiest ways of exploring new cultures and having new experiences. In these recipes, traditional Finnish winter delicacies are influenced by Italian and Thai food.

The tasty coconut salmon soup is based on tom kha gai, which is a classic Thai soup containing chicken and coconut. The rich, lemony flavors in the soup base also go particularly well with fish, but you can replace the protein with shrimp, or tofu if you want to prepare a vegan version (in that case, replace the fish sauce with soy sauce).

Galangal and kaffir lime leaves give the broth a wonderful citrus flavor.

The best place to look for galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass is an ethnic grocery store, where they are available either fresh or frozen. You can use galangal and kaffir lime leaves as very large pieces or whole leaves, as they are only meant to give the broth a strong citrus flavor and be left on the plate, not eaten. Unless the root and leaves are used as a paste, they are quite unpleasant to eat.

When Finns enjoy Shrovetide buns in early spring, Italians eat sweet maritozzi buns, which smell like orange and are filled with whipped cream, in Rome around Easter. There are several variations of the dough, which may include citrus zest, raisins, candied pieces of fruit and pine nuts. In this version, the cream filling is flavored with orange zest, and the recipe also includes thick, Italian mascarpone cream cheese.

Fresh buns and hot cocoa make the perfect pair in frosty February weather. If you want something new from your hot cocoa, try making it in vegetable milk: coconut milk, dark cocoa powder and spices go particularly well together. It is, however, advisable to skip the coconut milk sold in cans this time, or otherwise the drink will be thick and greasy.

Discover the recipes:

Coconut salmon soup

Ingredients (4–5 servings):
500 ml water
6–7 kaffir lime leaves (frozen)
2–3 stalks of lemongrass
5 cm piece of galangal or ginger
150 g shiitake mushrooms or button mushrooms
150 g cherry tomatoes
1 carton (400 g) coconut milk
500 g salmon
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp cane sugar
Juice of 1–2 limes
1–2 chili peppers
Cooked rice and fresh cilantro for serving

Do as follows:
The soup is quick to make, so it is advisable to prepare the ingredients in advance. Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the mushrooms. Peel the galangal and cut it into a few large pieces. Cut the lemongrass stalks in half lengthwise and only use about a 5cm piece of the soft lower part of the stalks, as the top ends are too woody to eat. Remove the skin of the salmon and cut the salmon into large chunks (small chunks break down in the broth).

Bring the water to a boil in a pot and add the lime leaves, galangal pieces and chopped lemongrass. Let simmer for 10 minutes so that the ingredients can flavor the broth. Add the chopped tomatoes, sliced mushrooms and coconut milk and finally, the fish and spices. Season the soup with lime juice, taste to see if it needs any salt, and serve it with jasmine rice, chopped chili peppers and fresh cilantro.

Maritozzi buns

Ingredients (10–12 pcs):
1 packet of dry yeast
250 ml lukewarm water
390 g wheat flour
85 g sugar
1 lemon (zest)
1 orange (zest)
(60 g raisins)
50 ml olive oil
1 egg

Filling:
200 g mascarpone
400 ml double cream
55 g powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange (grated zest)

Do as follows:
Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and add the sugar, flour and grated citrus zest. Mix, and add the olive oil, raisins (if used) and egg. Knead the dough for about 10–15 minutes until it is smooth and easy to remove from the bowl or hands. Let the dough double under a tea towel.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape into a roll. Cut the roll into half as many times as it takes to form 10–12 pieces of dough. Roll the pieces under your palm until they are round and smooth, and put them on baking sheets covered with baking paper. Let the buns rise under a tea towel for about an hour and bake them at 200 °C for 15 minutes or until they have risen and become golden brown.

Let the buns cool before filling them. Whisk the mascarpone into a soft foam and add the cream. Whip into a thick foam and season with powdered sugar, vanilla and grated orange zest. Slice each bun across the top without cutting the base and pipe the filling in or add it with a silicone spatula. Close the buns by pressing and wipe excess filling off with a silicone spatula. Decorate the buns with powdered sugar (if you wish) and serve immediately.

Spicy coconut cocoa

Ingredients (4–5 servings):
1 l coconut milk (e.g., Alpro)
40 g dark cocoa powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chili flakes or cayenne pepper (to taste)
Whipped cream and chili flakes for serving

Do as follows:
Add the coconut milk, cocoa powder, sugar and spices to a saucepan. Heat the mixture over low heat until it steams, stirring occasionally. Check the taste and add sugar, if necessary. Pour the cocoa into mugs and add whipped cream and chili flakes on top. Serve immediately.

Design Stories contributor Suvi Kesäläinen is a photographer, who loves to create dishes that are not only delicious but also fast and easy to make. She’s passionate about the best seasonal ingredients, local food and intriguing culinary trends.

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See also:

• New tableware at Finnish Design Shop >

Text and photos: Suvi Kesäläinen