Chopped Liver Recipes

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.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Prepare schmaltz and gribenes ahead of time, or purchase schmaltz from your local kosher market. Goose fat or duck fat can be used in place of schmaltz if desired. Prepare the livers by cutting off any tough pieces or stringy tendons. You should also cut away any pieces of liver that look discolored, yellow or strange. This is pretty much the worst prep job ever, as uncooked liver has a soft and slimy texture, so make sure this step is done by someone with a strong stomach.
• Add 2 tbsp schmaltz or oil into a large cast iron or nonstick skillet and melt over medium heat. Put half of the chicken livers into the skillet and fry them for 3 minutes on each side (about 6 minutes total). Season the livers generously with salt and pepper as they are cooking. *Note: If you plan to kosher your chicken livers by broiling them prior to making chopped liver, you will only need to sauté them in the skillet for about 1 minute on each side. Koshering the livers cooks them, so there is no need to sauté them for a long period of time. Be careful not to overcook or burn the livers, or they will become dry.
• After cooking, livers should be firm and browned on the outside while slightly pink on the inside. They will continue to cook internally after you remove them from the skillet; don't overcook them, or they will turn dry. When the livers are brown and firm, pour them into a medium-size mixing bowl along with the leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan. Add another 2 tbsp of schmaltz/oil to the skillet, melt it, and fry the remaining livers repeating the same process as above. Add the livers and leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan to the mixing bowl.
• The skillet should now be seasoned with schmaltz or oil, so you don't need to grease the pan again. Add the onion slices to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low.Cover the skillet and let the onion cook undisturbed over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Check once or twice during cooking just to make sure they are not over-browning or starting to burn. The onions should be softening, but not darkening at this point. This "steaming" process kick-starts the caramelization needed for sweetness in the chopped livers.
• Uncover the skillet, stir the onions, and continue to sauté them for another 30-40 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to keep the onions from burning. Ideally the onions should be deeply caramelized, tender and sweet - this is what gives Jewish chopped liver its trademark savory-sweetness.Don't try to speed up the caramelization process, it takes time-- and that's ok. Good things are worth waiting for. When the onions have reduced to about 1/3 of their original size and are soft, sweet, and golden, they're ready.
• Add the cooked onions to the mixing bowl along with 4 of the diced hard boiled eggs and the ½ cup of gribenes (optional). Season all ingredients generously with salt and pepper.
• Now it's time to chop all of the ingredients together into a blended mix. There are various schools of thought on the "right" way to chop liver. The old fashioned way is to chop it by hand with a knife, mincing and mincing until it resembles a rough pâté.
• Another popular method is using a meat grinder. I use a meat grinding attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer on the fine hole setting. Works like a charm.If you want to take a more modern approach, fit your food processor with a metal blade. Place all ingredients into the processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, stirring once halfway through processing, until a roughly textured paste forms.
• Whatever method you choose, it's important to taste the chopped liver once it is ground. Add salt or pepper to taste, if desired. Be a bit generous with the seasoning, as the liver is best served chilled and the seasoning won't taste as strong after chilling.
• Chill the chopped liver in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with remaining diced hardboiled egg and minced parsley.

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.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Turn on broiler. Rinse beef and chicken livers thoroughly, and cut away membranes and extra fat. Cut beef liver into 1-inch pieces; chicken livers can remain whole. Place beef and chicken livers in a large baking pan, and drizzle with corn oil (pour oil into a flatware tablespoon and drizzle over livers; 2 tablespoons are ample.) Broil 8 to 10 minutes (keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.) Turn liver pieces, and broil for another 5 minutes. Liver should be fully cooked and lightly browned on both sides. Chill in refrigerator. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons corn oil and the same amount of schmaltz, and saute onions, stirring occasionally, until well browned. Chill in refrigerator. In food processor, combine liver, onions, hard-boiled eggs, 2 tablespoons schmaltz, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. You will have to do it in batches. Chill before serving.

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.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Rinse livers under cold water to remove blood; drain. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add schmaltz and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add caramelized onions. Cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
• Add livers to skillet and season with salt. Cook, stirring, until livers begin to brown and insides are pink throughout, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer livers to a plate to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add chopped onions and cook, stirring, until golden brown; remove from heat and set sauteed onions aside.
• Place cooled livers and caramelized onions in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until well combined. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in hard-boiled eggs, sauteed onions; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before using.

KITTENCAL'S BEST CHOPPED BEEF LIVER!

Steps:

• Broil the liver on both sides until just cooked (do not overcook the liver!) cool completely, then cut into about 1-1/2 inch pieces; set aside.
• Sauté the onions in 4 tablespoon oil until caramelized (this should take about 15-20 minutes; cool slightly.
• Process the cooked chicken then measure out 1/4 cup.
• Process the liver and onions in a food processor until minced; add in all remaining ingredients along with the 1/4 cup minced chicken; process until blended about 10 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
• Season with salt and lots black pepper.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight before using.
• The mixture will firm up when chilled (make certain to keep a spoon handy near the fridge, you won't be able to stop tasting this LOL!).

MOCK CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Place water, lentils, and bouillon cubes in a pot. Cover pot and cook about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
• Heat oil in skillet, saute onion until it becomes translucent.
• In an electric food processor, grind lentils, onions and walnuts until your desired consistency for the pate is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill 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.

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 ON MATZO

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons chicken fat in a medium skillet over high heat. Add chicken livers, spacing them out so they brown instead of steam, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, without disturbing, until browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Using tongs or a spatula, flip livers until browned on the other side, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer livers to a plate.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons chicken fat, along with the sliced shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until the shallots are deeply browned and completely tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced almost completely (shallots will look very jammy), 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Finely chop livers and shallots and combine in a medium bowl along with remaining 2 tablespoons fat. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a small bowl or serving vessel and top with flaky salt and parsley. Serve with matzo and lemon for squeezing over.

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER

Steps:

• Heat chicken fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring often, until translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until caramelized, about 25 minutes more. Add livers. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Cover; cook, stirring often, until livers are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Place skillet over medium heat. Add Marsala and thyme. Cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely. Pulse pan juices, onions, livers, and eggs in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Serve with crackers.