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Chopped Liver Recipe

What am I? Chopped Liver!

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  • Author: Abbe Odenwalder
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 40 Minutes
  • Yield: 4 - 8 Servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Jewish

Description

Chopped Liver, a standard Jewish appetizer or often made into a sandwich, is kind of like a rustic chicken liver pate. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 7 large hard boiled eggs, shelled (I like eggy chopped liver. Some like it more livery; in which case use fewer eggs.)
  • 1 lb fresh chicken livers cleaned (approximately) you can add more or less eggs accordingly
  • 36 T oil, chicken fat or duck fat (and I believe I’ve seen some use butter but that is most definitely NOT kosher!)
  • 4 c onions sliced in slivers (2 2/3 c in slivers, the rest chopped)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Mayonnaise (Highly Controversial! But sometimes a teeny dollop will add flavor and creaminess. However, my duck fat took care of that!)

Instructions

  • Now you have a choice! You can broil your livers or saute them. I have done both. In either case you do not want to overcook your livers. Overcooked livers are dry and tasteless. They should still be a bit pink, but not a raw pink.
  • To broil: Set the livers on a rack over a foil lined sheet. Pat them dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil about 4 inches from the flame for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
  • To saute: Heat 3 T of your chosen fat in a skillet.  Add livers and saute until the raw pink is gone though they will still retain a touch of pink on the inside.
  • Now cook your onions. Heat 3 T of your chosen fat in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 2/3 c of sliced onions and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Saute, while stirring occasionally until onions are rich and gold, about 15 minutes. Do not let onions brown. If you have broiled your livers add them back to pan and saute for about 1 minute while mixing the onions and livers together.
  • Transfer the onions and livers to a food processor and pulse on and off to chop coarsely. Add the hard boiled eggs and pulse a few more times until the desired texture is reached. (Very important-do not over process or you will have paste. I remember my mother used a meat grinder attached to her mix master. It was always so cool to see the liver come out of the little holes.)
  • Now stir in remaining chopped raw onions. Adjust seasonings. Some people like to add more oil or schmaltz at this step to make it more moist and rich. This is also where you would add a dollop of mayo if you are of THAT persuasion.
  • Serve with matzo or crackers. Or put it on a giant onion roll with some lettuce and extra sliced onions. I’ve seen it layered with egg salad on a sandwich and I’ve seen it paired with corned beef. Many delis serve chopped liver but whenever I’ve tried it, it always seem to be more livery than I prefer.
  • Garnish with chopped hard boiled eggs and a smidgeon of green onions.

Notes

Adapted from Jewish Holiday Cooking by Jayne Cohen and the kitchen of Libby Weiner))