The story behind the recipe
Czernina, also known as czarnina and black soup, is part of the culinary tradition of several regions in Poland, particularly Greater Poland and Pomerania. It combines duck broth, edible blood, and a sour addition with fruity sweetness. Regional recipes vary in the amount of vinegar, dried fruits, and the way the noodles are served.
Here, we propose a milder, fruitier version with duck, dried pears, and plums. We buy the blood as a food product, chilled and stabilized according to the label. This is not a guide on how to obtain blood. The challenge lies in achieving the sweet-sour balance, tempering the mixture, and bringing the entire soup to the right temperature without burning it.
Ingredients
Broth
- 1.5 kg duck pieces (carcass or meat with bones, without offal)
- 2.5 l water
- 200 g carrot
- 100 g parsley root
- 100 g celery root
- 100 g onion
- 2 pcs bay leaf
- 4 pcs allspice
- 2 pcs cloves
Soup
- 80 g dried plums (pitted, unsmoked)
- 70 g dried pears
- 200 ml food-grade duck blood (chilled, stabilized according to the label)
- 30 g wheat flour
- 15 ml apple cider vinegar (up to 30 ml; depending on the acidity of the blood)
- 15 g sugar (up to 30 g, depending on the fruits)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Noodles
- 200 g wheat flour (plus a little for dusting)
- 2 pcs egg
- 10 ml water (only if needed for kneading)
- 2 g salt
Method, step by step
-
With 200 g of flour, eggs, and 2 g of salt, knead a firm, smooth dough for the noodles. If necessary, add water by the teaspoon. Knead for 8–10 minutes, cover, and let rest for at least 30 minutes. If waiting longer, place it in the refrigerator.
-
Dry the duck, remove any remaining feathers and excess loose fat. Do not rinse raw poultry under running water. Place it in a pot with the peeled carrot, parsley, celery, onion, and spices. Cover with water.
-
Bring to a gentle boil, skim off the foam, and simmer on low heat for 90–120 minutes, until the meat is tender. In the thickest piece, without touching the bone, check that it reaches at least 74°C. Remove the duck and vegetables.
-
Strain the broth. Skim off excess fat from the surface. Remove the meat from the bones, checking carefully; set aside the skin and bones. Keep the meat for serving. If the broth has evaporated significantly, replenish it to about 2 liters.
-
Rinse the dried plums and pears. Cut the pears into smaller pieces. Check the plums for any remaining pit fragments. Prepare the measured food-grade blood, keeping it in the refrigerator until use.
-
Add the fruits to the broth and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until they soften but do not fall apart completely. Add the cooked duck meat. Pour about 300 ml of hot broth into a jug.
-
Thoroughly mix the chilled food-grade blood with 30 g of flour, ensuring there are no lumps. Check the label to see if the product is already acidified. Do not pour all the vinegar in at once; you will adjust the taste after cooking the soup.
-
Gradually add hot broth to the mixture by the tablespoon, constantly whisking. Use up the poured portion gradually. A smooth, thinned mixture should form; do not pour cold blood all at once into the boiling pot.
-
Reduce the heat and slowly pour the tempered mixture into the soup. Heat gently for about 5–7 minutes, stirring at the bottom, without vigorous boiling. Use a thermometer to check that the entire mixed soup reaches at least 74°C. Then season gradually with vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
-
Divide the noodle dough into two parts. Roll each into a thin sheet about 1 mm thick, lightly dusting with flour. Leave to dry for 5–10 minutes, but do not let it become brittle.
-
Dust the sheets lightly with flour, loosely roll or fold them, and cut into strips about 3 mm wide with a sharp knife. Unroll the strips with your fingers. Too thickly folded, moist dough may stick together.
-
Cook the noodles separately in salted water for about 2–3 minutes after it comes to a boil, depending on thickness. Taste one cooked strand to check the center. Drain.
-
Stir the soup and heat before serving. Divide the meat and dried fruits among the plates. Keep the noodles separate so they do not swell in the entire pot. Taste the balance of sweetness and acidity once more.
-
Place the noodles on plates, pour hot czernina over them, and serve immediately. Chill any portion for later separately from the noodles and store in the refrigerator; reheat everything to 74°C.
Photos
