Frank on Food
So what am I, chopped liver?”
Well, hardly. Still, this memorable Jewish expression, which so well conveys the feeling of being overlooked, usually emerges in the days after Easter. And this week is the time that many of my favorite Jewish foods are on sale in the kosher section of your local supermarket.
When wistful thoughts of unrealized Passover feasts come to mind, and I attempt a small, but earnest, remedy by stocking up on them, I can only say, “Don’t disparage the chopped liver!”
This love-hate food is nothing more, really, than a mixture of liver, sautéed onions, and hard-boiled eggs. But done correctly, and with care, it can turn these simple ingredients from the plain into the sublime.
Not nearly as elegant as paté, chopped liver has a pale, grayish brown color; lumpy, uneven texture; and an arresting taste that, granted, probably has to be acquired. But rest assured, once acquired, it’s forever craved.
Chopped Liver
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1 pound chicken livers*
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4 to 6 T. schmaltz** (rendered chicken fat), or vegetable oil
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1 lb. (2 c.) onions, medium diced
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3 hard-boiled eggs
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Salt
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Fresh ground black pepper
Rinse the chicken livers and drain them. Trim any membranes and cut the livers in half.
Melt 2 T. of the rendered chicken fat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken livers (in batches) and cook, turning once, just until no trace of pink remains, about 5 minutes. Caution: Do not let the livers dry out!
Transfer the livers to a mixing bowl with a slotted spoon and cool. Add another 2 T. of rendered chicken fat to the skillet and turn the heat to medium-low.
Sauté the onions, without browning, until very soft.
Combine the livers and sautéed onions in a food processor* and chop coarsely, using only a few very short pulses. (Don’t make a paste! It’s supposed be lumpy.)
Chop the hard-boiled eggs and gently add to the livers.
Season the mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add melted chicken fat, if necessary. The mixture should be smooth and creamy, not dry. Makes about 3 cups.
Serve as a sandwich on slices of rye bread or as an appetizer on a bed of iceberg lettuce along with matzo or crackers.
* You can substitute beef or calves liver for the chicken livers. The taste will be slightly stronger, but no less appealing
** You can find schmaltz at specialty food shops and at some meat markets. Or you can make your own.
Schmaltz
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6 oz. chicken fat (from the cavity of a raw chicken), chopped
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3 oz. chicken skin, cut small
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1 large onion, sliced thin
Combine the chicken fat, skin and onion in a heavy skillet. Cook slowly over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes, until the fat and skin turns golden. Strain the rendered fat through a fine strainer or a piece of moistened cheesecloth.
Store covered in the refrigerator. (It also keeps well in the freezer.)
Use the leftover browned skin and fat (called gribenes in Yiddish) as a garnish for the chopped liver. Or sprinkle the gribenes with salt and eat as a snack.
Ideally, passing the mixture of liver onions and hard-boiled eggs through the coarse blade of a meat grinder will yield a more authentic version of this traditional dish.
One chicken will not provide enough fat for this recipe. Suggestion: Each time you buy a chicken, save the fat and freeze it. When you get enough, proceed with the recipe.
So what are you, making note of all this, chopped liver?