My wife and recently vacationed in Sointula, a scenic, small town on Malcolm Island. If you’ve not been, it’s located just across from the Northern Vancouver Island town of Port McNeil, a 25-minute ferry ride away from Malcolm Island.
There are, of course, places to rent and stay in and around Sointula. But we were fortunate to stay at our friend’s house there and every day felt like a Sunday in this peaceful, relaxed town with an interesting history.
In Finnish, Sointula means, “place of harmony.” According to the Vancouver Island North tourism website (vancouverislandnorth.ca), the town was established in 1901 when a colony of Finnish settlers arrived with utopian dreams of building the perfect community. Much of that goal fell apart within a decade, but there’s no question the settlers chose the right place for a fresh-air and salt-water paradise.
Some of those first settlers left, but others stayed. And you can learn all about their journey at Sointula’s museum (sointulamuseum.ca), which is staffed by knowledgeable people and filled with interesting artifacts.
Some tourists come to Sointula to cycle around the town and its surrounding area. Others come for hiking or to visit Malcolm Island’s Mitchell Bay, Pulteney Point Lighthouse and Bere Point Regional Park, where you can also camp and, if lucky, see killer whales off the stony coastline there, one of the rubbing points for orcas.
As a chef and food columnist, I was keen on eating well while in Sointula. My wife and I enjoyed meals at eateries there, including the Burger Barn and Coho Joe Cafe. We also found the food at the Malcolm Island Food Company to be exceptional, especially their delicious range of takeout meals.
We did, of course, also cook for ourselves and found supplies at the Sointula Co-op, which has been in operation since 1909, making it the oldest co-op in Canada.
We also found great produce at the Sointula Community Market Garden and it inspired today’s recipe for Finnish-style summer vegetable soup. In Beatrice Ojakangas classic book, The Finnish Cookbook, she says it’s traditionally made with succulent young vegetables pulled from your own vegetable garden, but writes that it can also be made with fresh vegetables obtained elsewhere, which is what I did.
Finnish-Style Summer Vegetable Soup
This is my version of the classic, creamy, Finnish-style soup that’s stocked with summer vegetables and fresh dill. Any leftovers you have will freeze well.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: about 20 minutes
Makes: five servings
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups quartered miniature potatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots (see Note)
1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (see Note)
1/2 cup fresh-shucked peas or frozen peas
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus some for garnish
• salt and white pepper, to taste
Place stock, potatoes and carrots in a medium to large pot (my pot was eight inches wide and four inches tall). Set over medium heat, bring stock to a simmer, and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are just tender, about seven to eight minutes.
While that occurs, place the milk, flour and sugar in a small pot and whisk well to combine. Add the butter, set the pot over medium heat, and bring this white sauce to a simmer, stirring occasional and ensuring it does not scorch on the bottom. When the white sauce is simmering, simmer 30 seconds, and then remove it from the heat.
When potatoes and carrots are just tender, add the beans, corn and peas to the pot. Now mix in the white sauce. Bring this soup to a simmer, and simmer three to four minutes, or until the beans are tender. Now stir in the green onions and 2 Tbsp chopped dill. Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper. The soup is now ready to serve. As you serve, sprinkle bowls of the soup with a bit of chopped dill.
Note: In this recipe diced means to cut into 1/2-inch cubes. One medium, shucked cob of corn, when the kernels are cut off the cob, should yield the amount of them needed here.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
