Making the most of mojakka

Tim Winker loves living here, and he's always looking for ways to engage his neighbors in his passions. Whether it's car racing, saunas, accordions, or the delicious soup/stew called mojakka, Tim wants to share his enthusiasm as far and wide as possible.

Tim started the local mojakka cookoff 20 years ago, and it's still going strong. He also put together the website mojakka.com, where you can find recipes, memories and stories contributed by Finnish folks from the U.S. and Canada.

The word "mojakka" means "cold wind" or "to feel cold" in Finnish, so dress warmly and come sample versions of this regional delicacy from noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12 at the Northeastern Hotel in the old West End of Cloquet. Proceeds from the cookoff will go to the Carlton County Historical Society.

Tim's idea of a perfect Saturday night would start with a really hot sauna with friends, followed by big bowls of mojakka. He just put together a program on the history, culture, and music of the Finnish sauna for WDSE (find it at https://bit.ly/3SXQQnD). As I said, he loves to share his passions.

Tim has enjoyed mojakka made with beef, venison, moose, bison, grouse, walleye, herring, northern pike and lake trout. His favorite version was made with salmon by Diane Sargent, his sweetheart, who passed away seven years ago. He remembers the creamy stew flavored with fresh dill, allspice and bay leaf.

I'm going to make Diane's recipe for this year's mojakka cookoff, using salmon caught by our friend Seth Cooke, who lives in Blackhoof Township and fishes every summer in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Mojakka ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups leeks, sliced crosswise (about 3/4 of one leek, green part only)

2 ½ cups russet potatoes, peeled (about 1 lb, in a half-inch dice)

1 ½ cups carrot, sliced (about 2 large carrots)

1 teaspoon whole allspice

1-2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon black pepper

4 cups fish stock

1 lb salmon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup cream, half and half or whole milk (don't use low-fat milk)

1 cup fresh dill, chopped

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once melted, add leeks and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.

Adjust to high heat. Add the potatoes and carrots.

Make a spice sachet by wrapping the allspice berries and bay leaves with cheesecloth tied with cooking twine.

Add the spices and fish stock and bring the soup to a boil, then turn back to medium and let vegetables simmer for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked through.

Add salmon and cream and simmer gently for 4-5 minutes until done.

Remove the spice sachet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh dill.

Tips: This recipe can easily be doubled or more. If you don't have fish stock, make a vegetable stock and add your salmon skin to the pot. Remove it before you add it to the stew. Make it a day ahead and refrigerate it so that the flavors meld, then reheat it gently and don't let it boil. Tim said Diane recommended being free with the salt and the butter, the better to win the mojakka cookoff competition.

Waxing on it

One of the judges of a past mojakka cookoff wrote a poem about the stew:

When times were tough, they took a little of this and a little of that,

And with a bunch of sisu, created what's called "mojakka," without any fat.

The broth was sometimes thick and sometimes thin, and would depend

On what was in the pantry or how much money the family had to spend.

Generations later, mojakka has survived the test of time, and take heart,

For now it has become a St. Urho's legend contest and a tasty work of art.

See you at the Northeastern on Sunday.

If you would like to tell your local food story, call Emily at the Oldenburg House, 218-384-4835.