Post by -:-Adeline-:- on Nov 1, 2008 3:55:32 GMT -5
from Sarah Dorrance
Obtained from Sanguinarius.org
Czernina -- also known as duck soup, this Polish recipe uses blood as the main ingredient (yum!)
I hardly ever get a chance to serve this dish for anyone but myself. Funny, for some bizarre reason people are turned off by the idea of consuming duck's blood. I just don't understand it.
Rats! I've probably scared you off, too…
Are you still reading, oh brave and adventurous soul? Good. This is one of the most nutritious dishes I can think of. Because blood has so much protein and iron in it, it's also a very rich and filling dish. Czernina is a main course, not an appetizer.
Unfortunately, because state laws are so strict regarding the sale of blood, there are really only two ways you can make the soup:
Live in a Polish town where the local butchers are sympathetic to you.
Raise ducks and kill them yourself.
I've heard that there is a way to make mock duck's blood, but in my experience, blood cannot be faked. It has a very distinctive taste. Some people say they find it easier to obtain pig's blood, but in Ohio (where I live) blood is blood and it's hard to find outside of Toledo or Cleveland. Period. If you do find it easier to obtain pig's blood, this is an acceptable substitute, although the flavour isn't as light as that of a duck. Do not use cow's blood, at any rate - the flavour is much too heavy.
To make czernina, you need:
One large duck (about seven or eight pounds)
Two cups of blood -- three is even better (this is more than most single ducks have in them; if you have a butcher, get a double portion of blood). Note that if you get the duck and the blood from a butcher, the blood will be mixed with vinegar to preserve it. Without the vinegar, it coagulates and goes bad within hours.
Water
Salt, to taste (about two tablesthingys)
Two teasthingys of pepper (the whole peppercorns are best)
One pound of dried, pitted prunes
One pound of raisins
Two tablesthingys of white flour
Two tablesthingys of sugar (raw cane sugar is interesting)
Sixteen to twenty four ounces of sour cream
Vinegar, to taste (some people like a sweet soup, some like it sour). I like balsamic vinegar.
Directions:
Warning: this is not a quick dish! It's not that hard, but it does require you to spend the afternoon in and out of the kitchen.
You can leave the skin on the duck if you want; be aware that this will make the soup very fatty. The soup will have more flavour, but your arteries won't thank you in the morning. On the other hand, no matter which way you look at it, this is a high cholesterol, high fat soup.
Place the duck in a large kettle and fill it with water - enough to cover the duck. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam! Cover and simmer for two or three hours, until the meat is tender. Get out a towel and remove the duck, placing it on the towel. You'll need to pick all the meat off the bones and get rid of the bones - this should be fairly easy, the water will have boiled all the meat loose.
Go back to the soup, which should still be simmering. Dump in the raisins and prunes and peppercorns. Cook for forty five minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, the sugar, and the sour cream, beating well until blended smoothly. Take your duck's blood and add this slowly, beating it in until finally the mixture is well blended. Now take a ladle and dip it into the soup stock. Pour it into a cup. Slowly beat the soup stock into the bloody sour cream. Now pour this whole bloody mixture back into the soup pot. Stir this mixture constantly until the soup is boiling again. If you want a sweet soup, add a little extra sugar; if you want a sour soup, add vinegar. Sweet and sour go well together, and many people add a little of both with some more salt to bring out the flavour.
Put the meat back into the soup.
You can boil some kluski (egg noodles) and add these to the soup, or potatoes, or both. I like to add potatoes and mushrooms - portobellos. They aren't authentic, but they taste very good in the pot..
For a very sweet, thick soup, add a cup of pureed prunes to the aforementioned ingredients.
I like to serve this with red wine. Duck is technically white meat, because it's fowl, but it's game meat, and the blood gives the soup a very heavy quality, making it suitable for red wine. Try a dry zinfandel.
Obtained from Sanguinarius.org
Czernina -- also known as duck soup, this Polish recipe uses blood as the main ingredient (yum!)
I hardly ever get a chance to serve this dish for anyone but myself. Funny, for some bizarre reason people are turned off by the idea of consuming duck's blood. I just don't understand it.
Rats! I've probably scared you off, too…
Are you still reading, oh brave and adventurous soul? Good. This is one of the most nutritious dishes I can think of. Because blood has so much protein and iron in it, it's also a very rich and filling dish. Czernina is a main course, not an appetizer.
Unfortunately, because state laws are so strict regarding the sale of blood, there are really only two ways you can make the soup:
Live in a Polish town where the local butchers are sympathetic to you.
Raise ducks and kill them yourself.
I've heard that there is a way to make mock duck's blood, but in my experience, blood cannot be faked. It has a very distinctive taste. Some people say they find it easier to obtain pig's blood, but in Ohio (where I live) blood is blood and it's hard to find outside of Toledo or Cleveland. Period. If you do find it easier to obtain pig's blood, this is an acceptable substitute, although the flavour isn't as light as that of a duck. Do not use cow's blood, at any rate - the flavour is much too heavy.
To make czernina, you need:
One large duck (about seven or eight pounds)
Two cups of blood -- three is even better (this is more than most single ducks have in them; if you have a butcher, get a double portion of blood). Note that if you get the duck and the blood from a butcher, the blood will be mixed with vinegar to preserve it. Without the vinegar, it coagulates and goes bad within hours.
Water
Salt, to taste (about two tablesthingys)
Two teasthingys of pepper (the whole peppercorns are best)
One pound of dried, pitted prunes
One pound of raisins
Two tablesthingys of white flour
Two tablesthingys of sugar (raw cane sugar is interesting)
Sixteen to twenty four ounces of sour cream
Vinegar, to taste (some people like a sweet soup, some like it sour). I like balsamic vinegar.
Directions:
Warning: this is not a quick dish! It's not that hard, but it does require you to spend the afternoon in and out of the kitchen.
You can leave the skin on the duck if you want; be aware that this will make the soup very fatty. The soup will have more flavour, but your arteries won't thank you in the morning. On the other hand, no matter which way you look at it, this is a high cholesterol, high fat soup.
Place the duck in a large kettle and fill it with water - enough to cover the duck. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam! Cover and simmer for two or three hours, until the meat is tender. Get out a towel and remove the duck, placing it on the towel. You'll need to pick all the meat off the bones and get rid of the bones - this should be fairly easy, the water will have boiled all the meat loose.
Go back to the soup, which should still be simmering. Dump in the raisins and prunes and peppercorns. Cook for forty five minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, the sugar, and the sour cream, beating well until blended smoothly. Take your duck's blood and add this slowly, beating it in until finally the mixture is well blended. Now take a ladle and dip it into the soup stock. Pour it into a cup. Slowly beat the soup stock into the bloody sour cream. Now pour this whole bloody mixture back into the soup pot. Stir this mixture constantly until the soup is boiling again. If you want a sweet soup, add a little extra sugar; if you want a sour soup, add vinegar. Sweet and sour go well together, and many people add a little of both with some more salt to bring out the flavour.
Put the meat back into the soup.
You can boil some kluski (egg noodles) and add these to the soup, or potatoes, or both. I like to add potatoes and mushrooms - portobellos. They aren't authentic, but they taste very good in the pot..
For a very sweet, thick soup, add a cup of pureed prunes to the aforementioned ingredients.
I like to serve this with red wine. Duck is technically white meat, because it's fowl, but it's game meat, and the blood gives the soup a very heavy quality, making it suitable for red wine. Try a dry zinfandel.