Main Courses
Blood dumplings
Ingredients
200 g pork fat
3 onions
0.5 l pig, beef, or lamb blood
0.5 dl cooking oil or good broth
250 g sour cream
about 7 dl barley flour
about 4 dl wheat flour
0.5 tsp baking soda
salt if needed
broth for boiling the dumplings
How to make?
Finely chop the onion and sauté in pork fat until translucent, then let it cool slightly. Pour into a mixing bowl, then gradually add the blood, sour cream, and cooking oil or broth while stirring constantly. Be careful with the salt, as blood usually already contains some to prevent clotting. Alternately add barley flour and wheat flour mixed with baking soda, kneading into an elastic dough. The amount and ratio of flours depend on the dough temperature and also the coarseness of the flour, especially if using farm flours. The dough should remain soft but firm enough to shape into patties with wet hands.
With wet hands, form flat patties about 10 cm in diameter, like cutlets, and let them rise for about 30 minutes. Bring broth to a boil in a wide pot. There should be enough broth for the dumplings to float freely. Using a spatula, gently place the dumplings in a single layer into the gently simmering broth. At first, they will sink, but as they cook, they will rise to the surface. Let them simmer gently for 20–30 minutes, turning them over occasionally. The dumplings are ready when, after being cut in half, they are no longer bloody inside. Transfer the dumplings to a large platter to cool.
Blood dumplings can be eaten in several ways, for example, immediately after boiling with hot broth and boiled meat or with a stew. Nowadays, it is common to slice and pan-fry them, serving with sour cream and lingonberry jam.