(which around here, at least, is pronounced somewhere between "club" and "kloob"): I first went online and all I came up with were recipes for potato dumplings. So I went straight to the source and called my neighbor Lavonne, who has been making it for her family and for the Yellowstone Lutheran dinner for years.
She prefaced it by saying "I use spices, and some people don't. Some people use bacon in it or suet, but here's what I do."
Mix a pint of blood with a cup of water. Add a tsp each of cloves, allspice and nutmeg and a Tbs of sugar and salt. Scald a cup of milk and melt your butter in it. Then mix in potato buds, graham flour and white flour (I lost track of amounts at this point). Knead until it is real stiff, you may have to add more flour. Cut off pieces and drop in water and boil for a long time.
To serve it, you cut off pieces into a fry pan, and add butter and milk. It makes it's own gravy.
She added, "Some people don't like it, because of the blood, but my family can't get enough of it."
I'm going to try to go over and apprentice the next time she makes it, not because I think I will ever will get into it big time, but because I feel adventurous enough to try it. (And I have to remember to ask Mom if she is familiar with it. I don't remember it from growing up, so I expect Grandma didn't make it, but maybe there were some great aunts who did.)
Lavonne mentioned that "some people call it blood sausage." Though the blood sausage I remember was German style that my Dad would bring home on occasion. That was more like a patty style pork sausage, with blood mixed in. You fry it up the same way, and as I recall it was pretty good.
For anyone still with me at this point, who hasn't gone all totally "Eewww-Gross!", remember that these were foods of peasants/farmers who weren't about to let anything go to waste when they butchered. No one knew how long and hard the winter was going to be.
Blood doesn't sound weird to me at all. Perhaps it's because I've seen (and tried) enough "weird" foods.
ReplyDeleteCaught a couple episodes of Bizarre Foods (I think it was called) on the Food Network that shows all sorts of stuff that some might find "weird", but I didn't think all of it was that foreign. Sometimes Anthony Bordain might try an odd thing on his travel/food show. I think it all depends on one's accessibility/exposure to a diversity of foods.
I totally get the not wanting to waste anything and most people need to do more of that these days, but still..."ewwwww, gross!" But I will include the caveat that I was vegetarian for years and would be perfectly happy to once again go without most animal parts.
ReplyDeleteThe question that occurs to me (immediately) is, "Where do you get a cup of blood?" Assuming there are no would-be vampires around...
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing with Kmkat because I was wonder whose blood one uses :D But I know enough to know that nothing should go to waste - and to realize that if we didn't have all these highly over-developed delicate constitutions we would be looking at this recipe with interest given the current economy.
ReplyDeleteKnit On! and pass the good recipes along :)
Sounds good - but then again, I'm from the home of haggis!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought, too, was now how do I get some blood? Ewwww! And then I remembered that I am Puerto Rican and we love us some pig intestine filled with blood, rice and spices. I guess it's the potatoes that grossed me out. (not really)
ReplyDeleteOh I love 'blood sausage!' Growing up my grandparents made "blut wurst" every year when they butchered. However, they only used pork blood, not beef. At some point, they began having the pigs killed and dressed at a butcher shop, and then cut them up at home. Once they started that, they no longer had access to blood, because the local board of health didn't permit the butcher to keep or provide it. Therefore it has been many years since I've had it. The method looks so doable that I'm going to have to see what I can do about acquiring some tho!
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