M. Veronica Mack from Baltimore was looking for a recipe for making Czarnina, a traditional Polish duck soup, like the one her mother used to make when she was young. Like most Czarnina recipes, her mother’s not only called for a live duck but also the duck blood. Mack said that these days it’s difficult to find a source for live duck and almost impossible to find duck blood. She was hoping someone would be able to share a recipe for the soup that had a satisfactory substitute for the blood.

Phil Wujek from Timonium, Md., sent in a recipe for a mock Czarnina soup that he said his Aunt Sophia Cudnik came up with some years ago when the sale of raw blood was banned. He can remember as a child being sent to the poultry store on Conkling Street in Southeast Baltimore with instructions to buy “a good sized duck, and don’t forget to tell them you want the blood … and be careful carrying it home!”

Out of necessity, as finding live ducks in the city became more and more difficult, his aunt came up with a version of the soup that does not use live duck or duck blood. Wujek said while the taste may not be exactly the same, it comes pretty close, and, “The best part is that it is much easier to make, less expensive, and perhaps most importantly, doesn’t carry the stigma of eating blood soup.”

This sweet and sour soup is best served with thick noodles known as Kluski or potato dumplings.

Request

Kira Eyring from Baltimore is looking for a recipe for Oyster Pie. Her husband’s grandmother used to make it, but they cannot find her recipe anywhere. It was like an oyster stew with potatoes, carrot and peas baked in a deep-dish pie plate with a crust on the bottom and top.