Duck Soup

(Czarnina). Purchase duck and blood from butcher. The blood will contain vinegar. (If preparing your own poultry, put 1/2 cup vinegar into glass bowl with blood to prevent coagulation. Set aside.) Cover duck and back ribs with water in a large kettle. Add salt. Bring to boiling. Skim off foam. Put celery, parsley, allspice, and cloves into cheesecloth bag and add to soup. Cover and cook over low heat until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove spice bag from kettle. Discard bones, cut up meat. Return meat to soup. Add prunes, raisins, and apple (if desired); mix. Cook 30 minutes. With beater, blend flour, and sugar into cream until smooth. Then add blood mixture, a little at a time, continuing to beat. Add about 1/2 cup hot soup stock to blood mixture, blending thoroughly. Pour mixture slowly into the soup, stirring constantly until soup comes just to boiling. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice or vinegar. Serve with homemade noodles, if desired. makes about 2 1/2 quarts If a thicker soup is desired, increase flour to 3 to 4 tablespoons or add 1 cup pureed prunes