Old Country Chopped Liver Recipes

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Drain the livers and saute them in 2 batches in 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat over medium-high heat, turning once, for about 5 minutes, or until just barely pink inside. Don't overcook the livers or they will be dry. Transfer them to a large bowl.
• In the same pan, saute the onions in 3 tablespoons of the chicken fat over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Add the Madeira and deglaze the pan, scraping the sides, for about 15 seconds. Pour into the bowl with the livers.
• Add the eggs, parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and the remaining chicken fat to the bowl. Toss quickly to combine. Transfer half the mixture to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 6 to 8 times, until coarsely chopped. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Season, to taste, and chill. Serve on crackers or matzo.

GRANDMA'S CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Pulse eggs in a food processor until coarsely chopped and transfer to a large bowl, then chill, covered, until ready to use.
• Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 20 minutes.
• While onion cooks, trim and rinse livers and pat dry. (Halve any large pieces.) Add livers to onion and increase heat to moderately high, then sauté, stirring occasionally, until livers are just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes (they should not be pink in center). Transfer mixture (including oil) to a shallow plate and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Pulse liver mixture in food processor until coarsely puréed, then stir into eggs, along with salt and pepper, until combined. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour, then season with more salt just before serving.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Melt all but one tablespoon of the chicken fat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onions and saute over medium-low heat until they are golden and just beginning to brown around the edges. Stir the onions frequently so they will cook evenly. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside in a dish, draining as much of the fat as possible back into the pan.
• Trim the chicken livers of any connective tissue or membranes and pat them dry with paper towels. Saute the livers in the fat left in the pan over medium heat until they are lightly browned on the outside and no longer pink in the middle. Remove from heat.
• Combine the livers, including all the pan drippings, with the onions, hard-cooked eggs and cracklings (if you are using them) in a bowl. Finely chop all the ingredients either by hand, by putting them through a meat grinder or by placing them in a food processor and pulsing them briefly to a medium-coarse texture.
• Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper and add the remaining tablespoon of chicken fat. Cover and serve within two hours or refrigerate but allow to come to room temperature before serving.

RUSS & DAUGHTERS' CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER

Steps:

• Drain chicken livers, rinse and pat dry. Remove any connective tissue. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the livers until they are firm and slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes. (Do not overcook.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate to cool.
• In a clean, large skillet, melt the shortening over medium heat and add the onions. Sauté until onions are caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes, reducing heat to low as the onions soften.
• When the onions are ready, coarsely chop the livers in a food processor and place in a bowl (or chop livers with an old-fashioned manual chopper in a wooden bowl). Peel the eggs and mash with a fork in a bowl. Add to the livers. Add the onions and mix well, stirring in just enough of their cooking juices to moisten the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover the chopped liver and let mellow in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, drain, and set aside to cool. In a large frying pan, gently cook the onions in the oil (or schmaltz) until soft and golden. Increase the heat, add the livers, and stir for a few seconds so that they absorb the flavor of the onion. Either pour the mixture into a food processor and process to a coarse or smooth paste with the gribenes (if using), or pass the mixture through an old-fashioned grinder. Scoop into a bowl. Grate the eggs on the coarse side of a grater and add to the bowl, reserving a little of the grated egg for the garnish. Stir in the parsley and fold in gently. Moisten the mixture with some wine, brandy, or chicken stock, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until needed. Serve in scoops on individual plates topped with a little grated egg and paprika for color, and generous pieces of fresh Friday-night challah.
• To make gribenes and schmaltz
• Remove the spare fat from a raw chicken and place in a pan. (There is usually a lump of fat around the neck, in an older bird at least.) Add 1 cup (8 oz) dairy-free margarine, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 large onion (with the skin left on to enhance the golden color). Remove the skin from the chicken, cut into smallish pieces, and add to the pan. Set over very low heat and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours until all of the fat has been rendered gently out of the chicken skin. Remove the skin from the pan and drain on paper towels to form gribenes or crackling. Pour the fat (schmaltz) into a heavy-duty glass dish and store in the fridge until needed*. As the fat cools, a rich jelly will collect at the bottom of the dish. This jelly forms a delicious base for soup or sauces.
• The fat (schmaltz) will keep for up to 6 weeks in the fridge. Store the gribenes in the fridge.

SIMPLE CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Place the eggs into a saucepan in a single layer and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, remove from the heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 minutes. Pour out the hot water, then cool the eggs under cold running water in the sink. Peel and chop once cold.
• Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Place onion on a plate and set aside. Stir chicken livers into the same skillet. Cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear. Place chicken livers on the same plate as the onions and allow to cool completely.
• Place chicken livers and onion in a food processor. Process until desired texture is achieved. Place liver mixture into a bowl and season with salt and sugar. Stir in the chopped eggs. Chill before serving.

OLD COUNTRY CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Preheat broiler to 500°. Broil livers on broiler rack 4 inches from the heat source for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the oven and finely chop livers.
• Melt 6 Tblsp. schmaltz in skillet and sauté onions over medium/low heat until soft and just beginning to brown. Add chopped liver pieces and sauté 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
• Pour contents of skillet into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, chop the eggs and add them to the liver mixture. Mix in the salt, pepper, and gribenes (if using). Mix everything together until well blended. Chill at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.
• Serving Suggestions: Serve small portions of chopped liver garnished with kosher dill pickles and pickled beet slices during the winter. Garnish the liver with fresh tomato and English cucumber slices in the summer.
• A medium-dry white wine, such as chardonnay, goes very well with chopped liver. So does a white zinfandel.