Czernina Polish Duck Blood Soup Food

DUCK SOUP (CZARNINA)

Steps:

• Cover whole duck with water in large stock pot. Add salt, and bring to a boil. Skim off foam.
• Place celery, parsley, allspice, and cloves in a cheese cloth bag, and add to stock pot. Cover and cook over low heat until meat is tender, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove cheese cloth bag from stock pot. Remove duck. Discard bones, cut up meat, and return to the broth.
• Mix in prunes, raisins and apple. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, beat flour and sugar into cream until smooth. Beat in duck blood gradually. Add 1/2 cup hot soup stock to blood mixture, blending thoroughly. Pour mixture slowly back into stock pot, stirring constantly until soup comes to a boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice and vinegar.

CZERNINA: POLISH DUCK BLOOD SOUP

Steps:

• [The day before] If you've purchased frozen duck blood, move it from the freezer to your fridge to let it thaw.
• Prepare the vegetables, wash them and peel them. Peel the onion and char it directly over the burner grate, until fully charred.
• Place the meat into a large cooking pot (5 qt/5 litre), turn on the heat to medium. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat significantly, so that the stock only simmers.
• When a layer of scum appears, remove it with a spoon or a small strainer.
• Add in the vegetables you've prepared, onion too. Then add the spices - 5 bay leaves, 5 all-spice berries, 3 black peppercorns and a teaspoon of salt. Cook for 1 hour on a low heat.
• As you wait, grab a smaller cooking pot and drop in the dried fruit. Cover with water and leave for 30 minutes to soak. Add cherries in and cook until soft. Strain and set aside.
• Let's return to the large pot of stock. Remove meat and vegetables from the pot and strain the stock into a smaller pot. Add in the fruit.
• Make sure that the duck blood is at room temperature. Add 1 tablespoon of vine vinegar and half a tablespoon of sugar. Add one tablespoon of flour and 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream and mix together with a spoon, until well combined and the texture is smooth.
• Start reheating the stock again. Slowly, gradually, pour in the blood mixture, stirring constantly. Make sure not to bring the soup to boil.
• Season the soup with half a teaspoon of dried marjoram and some ground pepper. Have a taste - if you feel it needs more salt, it's a good moment to add more in.
• Serve with pasta or dumplings, dried fruit pieces and garnish with fresh herbs, such as fresh marjoram.