Chopped Liver
Chopped liver is part of most Jewish people’s upbringing. My two grandmothers made their chopped liver a little differently from each other, but both were tasty. This recipe combines the best of each. Chopped liver is a developed taste, but to get the full Jewish experience at Passover, we recommend you at least try a little bit on a piece of matzah.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds chicken livers, trimmed
3 eggs
1 large onion, sliced
2 tablespoons chicken schmaltz* (or 2 tablespoon olive oil)
2 tablespoons Kiddush wine, brandy, or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
*Chicken schmaltz (SHMALTZ) is rendered chicken fat.
Instructions:
- Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, drain, and set aside.
- In a sauté pan, cook the onions on low heat until a nice golden brown color appears. Remove from the pan and let cool on a paper towel.
- Add wine and chicken schmaltz to the sauté pan and bring to simmer on medium heat.
- Add the livers and cook for 5 minutes or until the livers are firm to the touch.
- Pour mixture into a food processor and mix until the ingredients come together, but not too smooth.
- Scrape mixture into a bowl.
- Grate the eggs and add to the bowl. Then add the onions and mix together.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate overnight and serve the next day.
To make chicken schmaltz:
- Take the spare fat from a raw chicken. This can be done by removing the skin and fat from chicken thighs and cutting into strips.
- Cook on low heat in a sauté pan with 2 sticks (8 ounces) of butter for 60 to 90 minutes until all fat has been rendered gently out of the chicken skin.
- Remove skin from pan and drain on paper towels to form gribenes (Yiddish for “cracklings”).
- Pour the fat (schmaltz†) into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
†The schmaltz (fat) will keep for up to 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge if stored correctly with a lid.
