Cottage sauna food addictions

Summer is just beginning and the first chores like raking, washing the windows and planting herbs have already been done. Now we are waiting for the first summer guests to come and spend a relaxing weekend at the cottage. A couple of my closest friends are arriving and it has been agreed that we will first complete a small kitchen renovation project, followed by a perfect girls’ sauna night with all the trimmings! The sun is shining, the birch trees are green, the blue beach water is lapping and the picnic baskets are full of goodies. I wonder if I could ask for more as the girls’ little rag-top car is already turning into the cottage sauna yard.

The Finnish sauna experience at its best is a cottage sauna with a wood-burning stove on the shore of a lake, with its fragrances, the glow of an oil lamp and good company. For city girls, the enjoyment begins with the heating of the sauna, i.e. chopping logs and carrying water to the sauna’s wall. The birds are singing in their nest-building chorus as we go to the forest to make the first delicate sauna wreath of the summer from young birch trees, today we are pampering our souls and bodies!

The sun is starting to set and the chores are paying off, it’s time to move on to the sauna. It doesn’t matter if the cottage’s kitchenette is under renovation, because today we’re going to try cooking on a wood stove while taking a sauna! A hearty evening meal will make up for a missed dinner during a busy day, and best of all, it’ll be ready to eat almost unnoticed while you’re taking a sauna. The menu for the evening is as follows: a giant prawn pan on a hearthstone, rolls on the hearth and freshly picked rhubarb served with cold vanilla ice cream!

When the sauna is warm, the crab casserole is placed on a foil lid in the corner of the stove and you climb up on the benches for a good soak. Everyone now gets “whipped” with fresh sauna spirit, the feet are getting into summer shape and the mood is high as we exchange news of the past week while relaxing on the sauna benches. After the last strokes, I add prawns and cheese to the kasari. When the fire in the stove’s firebox has only a faint glow left, we push the risen rolls into the oven of the stove. While washing, be careful not to burn the buns and bind the crabs. When we bring these delicacies to the table, we put the dessert parsnips on the stove to cook, so that your stomach can enjoy them too!

Early summer sauna for a dinner party

GIANT PRAWN – COCONUT SHRIMPS

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons strong paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
• 1/2 red chilli
• 1 teaspoon of ginger
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• black pepper powder, tincture of thyme and basil
• 1 spring onion stalk
• 1-2 dl mini tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of coconut cream
• about 400g king prawns
• 1,5 dl parmesan grated cheese
• 1dl fresh coriander
• 1 lemon, chopped

In an ovenproof casserole, sauté the coconut oil, red onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes and all the spices. Next add the chopped spring onion stems, mini tomatoes and coconut cream. Cover the barrel with foil or a lid and place on the stove to simmer. At the end of the sautéing, add the king prawns and the parmesan sauce and finish the gratin. Serve hot with fresh coriander, lemon wedges and warm rolls.

QUICK SAUNA ROLLS 6 PIECES

• 4 dl wheat flour
• just under a tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons of curdled honey
• 2 dl cold water
• seed generation

Mix all the ingredients into a smooth dough. Shape into round buns with floured hands and decorate the top with seeds. Bake in the oven (about 200°C) for 10 minutes.

CARAMELISED RHUBARB

• 2 stems of rhubarb
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 dl water
• ginger, cinnamon and cardamom
• salted pistachios
• vanilla ice cream
• curdled honey
• fresh mint

Put the butter, sugar, water and diagonally cut rhubarb slices in an ovenproof pan. Add the spices and cover with foil. Simmer on the stove or in the oven until the rhubarb softens. Serve warm for dessert with pistachios, vanilla ice cream and runny honey. Garnish with fresh mint if you like!

After a delicious meal, satisfied with the day’s work, clean and full, we went to bed after the sun had set. On our next trip to the cottage, we will lower the dock, throw the winter sausage and cook new potatoes on the stove and, if Ahti permits, small perch. For dessert, we hope to serve forest strawberry milk. Dreaming of future sauna trips, these girls put their heads down on the pillow.