Rhubarb soup is a popular summer dessert here in Norway. This is an easy recipe that features seasonal ingredients, and will be ready in minutes. Why not give it a go?

What you need (Serves 8):

- 4 sticks of rhubarb

- 1 pint (4.5 dl) of water

- 100-150gr sugar

- Juice of 1 lemon (some prefer orange, another alternative)

- 1/2 vanilla pod

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 2 star anise pods

- 4 sprigs of mint or one small fresh ginger root (optional)

What you do:

Peel the rhubarb and cut it into thin slices. Put the rhubarb slices in a saucepan with the water, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla, lemon/orange juice and bring to the boil, then let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender. Remove the cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and star anise, then add the sugar to the pan and stir until it dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool. Serve the soup ice-cold with vanilla ice cream (if you’re a purist) or, alternatively, mascarpone, sour cream, or whipped cream, according to your preference.

This is the traditional recipe for Norwegian rhubarb soup. You could add mint leaves for flavouring, or even ginger, for a more oriental-inspired variation – both go very well with rhubarb. Many other recipes for this traditional Norwegian dessert also feature strawberries, so feel free to add them to the mix of ingredients above if you want to give this variant a go – about 400g Norwegian strawberries (nothing else will do of course!) should be sufficient. Enjoy!