Yechiel’s Chopped Liver

I’ve been making chopped liver since I’m a bride (40 years tfutfutfu!) I lived in the States at the time and there liver was usually beef liver which I liked but wasn’t my fave.  I didn’t understand the sublime taste of liver till I ate chicken livers in a chopped liver spread and I became a convert.

Recently, we were hosted by friends in the States and they served, yes! beef liver and I remembered again why I was not such a fan.  So, some tastes really don’t change.

I used to broil  (for kashrut purposes) my own liver but as I got older, I started buying them broiled.  I try to simplify where I can.  Now, I can buy my liver broiled and ground (pure liver) and have switched to this to halve the work.

My version hasn’t changed much over the years since I really enjoyed it but recently my son-in-law (SIL) Yechiel insisted I taste his new version.  He pushed a container into my hand and my husband and I snorfed it down on Shabbat with fresh challah.  Well OMG it was good.  He and I trade recipes from time to time and I texted him with a plea for his recipe.  A delicacy.  I still love my old version but will happily share both.  You decide!

NEWS FLASH!!  I started this post about  five months ago and came back to it.  My oldest grandson, Lavi, looked at me and said, “Savta, I don’t touch liver if I see chunks of chopped egg white in it.”  Now as a good Savta (grandma), I try to prepare things which the grandkids will chomp and graze happily on and come back for more.  So, I changed the recipe this Yom Tov since they were all over for Sukkot and put the eggs into a food processor and added the cooked onion with all the oil and salt.  I ground it finely in the processor so that no egg white (G-d forbid) would be seen.  This gave the liver a really lovely texture and due to Lavi’s request, I believe we have a much yummier version of the liver.  However, now my version and Yechiel’s are more alike than not.  Also good!

My Chopped Liver

1 container (250 grams i.e. 8.8 ounces) broiled, ground chicken liver

2 hard boiled eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 small finely chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons canola (or other mild) oil

1/3 cup fine breadcrumbs

Prepare your hard boiled eggs whilst organizing your ingredients.  I swear by the cold water method: place 3 + eggs into cold water, salt merrily, bring to rolling boil.  Cover tightly and turn off flame.  Let sit undisturbed for 15 minutes.  Pour out hot water, cover with cold.  Let sit a minute or two and your eggs should be peel-worthy and the yolks stay yellow not green.

Take a frying pan, pour in the oil to cover bottom of the pan.  Heat the oil till hot but not smoking – if the onion turns too dark it will taste bitter.  Take your finely chopped onion (I insist on this since we don’t like biting into globs of onion, we like a smooth texture)  and carefully put into the hot oil.  Lower the flame to medium and cook till dark yellow and translucent.  I recommend not walking away while this happens or the onions will get too dark, best to keep your eye on them.  Let onions cool off the burner (otherwise they will keep cooking).

Now we put it all together- take 2 peeled eggs and (chop them up in a medium bowl.  Depending on my mood, I chop them fine or coarsely- old version!) put into a food processor with the onion, oil  and salt.    Put into a big mixing bowl, add breadcrumbs and last I add the liver which is keeping its cool in the fridge, liver can spoil easily so don’t take it out till you are ready with everything else.  I then take out my latex disposable food gloves and squish all the ingredients together till they make a moist mixture.  If it seems too dry you can add a teaspoon or 2 of water or more oil but only a bit to make it moist.

I like to plate the liver on a bed of curly colorful lettuce with cherry tomatoes and big pitted olives.

Now there is far less of a difference between the two versions, but carry on reading!

Yechiel’s Chopped Liver

1 container (250 grams i.e. 8.8 ounces) broiled, ground chicken liver

2 hard boiled eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 small to medium finely chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons canola (or other mild) oil

1-2 tablespoons of silan – date syrup

Follow the above directions till the chopping the eggs part. The main differences between my OLD version and Yechiel’s is he uses a stick blender on all the ingredients (this did not work well for me) and so I pulled out my food processor and whirled the hard boiled eggs in it till light and added the cooked onions.  This produces a fluffier texture.  Since I am incurably curious about food, I tried this with 3 hard boiled eggs instead of 2 (just because) and the overall texture of the chopped liver was much lighter.  DH liked it but my mom and I preferred the somewhat denser texture though not TOO dense, fear not. (BTW, guess who won the deciding version 🤭 ).  Then, since my food processor is pareve, I scooped out the mixture into a bowl and added the ground liver and squished by hand (see above), added salt and the silan which I have in a squeeze bottle (SO convenient) and I drizzled this on top and re-squished it all.  This version also skips the breadcrumbs and I did not feel their loss.  YUM.  What can I say?  The salty/slightly sweet taste is amazing.

A note about date syrup.  I have actually made this on my own (many years ago) when a Moroccan friend of mine explained how to make it.  Basically, you take dried, pitted (and checked) dates, cut them up, cover with water and cook down till a syrupy liquid is formed.  Pour off the syrup when cooled and use the pulp to stuff chicken or as cookie filling.  This, as you can imagine is a ton of work, and buying the prepared unsweetened syrup in any supermarket is a snap.  But if you are curious like me, you can give it a shot one day when you have time ;).  The date syrup is NOT a good  substitute for sugar despite health food claims by some.  It has a dark deep flavor with a hint of sweetness which is why it melds so well with the liver and I use it often in cooking.