Shabbat chopped liver
A generous paste of chicken livers sautéed in schmaltz, mixed with long-golden onions and hard-boiled egg, all mashed and seasoned. Rich, slightly bitter from the onion, to be spread.
A generous paste of chicken livers sautéed in schmaltz, mixed with long-golden onions and hard-boiled egg, all mashed and seasoned. Rich, slightly bitter from the onion, to be spread.
Chopped liver, you gotta respect it, it's not something you rush. You melt your onions real slow in the chicken fat until they're nice and golden and sweet — that's the secret, patience. You mash everything with the livers and the hard-boiled egg, season it to death, and taste it by dipping a piece of challah in, like we did as kids sneaking from the bowl before it hit the table. Spread it thick. There's nothing refined about it, it's fatty, it's hearty, and it's the whole Friday night in one bite.
- •Chicken livers — a good amount (base)
- •Onions — several (golden sweetness)
- •Schmaltz (chicken fat) — generous (signature fat)
- •Hard-boiled eggs — a few (binder, texture)
- •Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Shabbat chopped liver
A generous paste of chicken livers sautéed in schmaltz, mixed with long-golden onions and hard-boiled egg, all mashed and seasoned. Rich, slightly bitter from the onion, to be spread.
Why this dish? A central festive dish of the Ashkenazi London Shabbat table, chopped liver embodies the traditional Jewish cooking Amy spoke of with tenderness. It's the dish prepared the day before, that sits at the center of the family table and is shared at the start of the meal.
Chopped liver, you gotta respect it, it's not something you rush. You melt your onions real slow in the chicken fat until they're nice and golden and sweet — that's the secret, patience. You mash everything with the livers and the hard-boiled egg, season it to death, and taste it by dipping a piece of challah in, like we did as kids sneaking from the bowl before it hit the table. Spread it thick. There's nothing refined about it, it's fatty, it's hearty, and it's the whole Friday night in one bite.
Ingredients (period version)
- Chicken livers — a good amount (base)
- Onions — several (golden sweetness)
- Schmaltz (chicken fat) — generous (signature fat)
- Hard-boiled eggs — a few (binder, texture)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Trimmed chicken livers — 400 g (base)
- Yellow onions — 3 large (sweetness)
- Chicken fat (or neutral oil) — 4 tbsp (cooking, binder)
- Hard-boiled eggs — 3 (texture)
- Salt, black pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- Challah or matzo crackers — for serving (base)
Method
- Slice the onions and sweat them very slowly in the fat for 25-30 min until beautifully golden. Reserve half.
- Raise the heat, add the trimmed livers and sear until just cooked through (barely pink inside).
- Let cool slightly, then chop with a knife or mash coarsely with the onions and hard-boiled eggs (rustic texture, not a smooth purée).
- Season generously with salt and pepper. Add a little fat if too dry.
- Press into a bowl, chill for at least 2 hours.
- Serve cold, topped with the remaining golden onions, with challah or matzo crackers.
How it was made : Chopped liver comes from the Ashkenazi use of poultry fat (butter being forbidden with meat under kashrut laws). Livers were traditionally chopped with a knife or in a hand-cranked chopper (the hak-messer and its board), and the golden onion brought the roundness that balances the liver's bitterness. It is a classic forshpeis, the Shabbat and holiday appetizer.
The contemporary twist : Served as a quenelle on a warm blini with a few crispy fried onions: the deli-chic of Soho cocktail bars.
Sources : Claudia Roden, The Book of Jewish Food (1996) · Gil Marks, Encyclopedia of Jewish Food (2010)
Amy Winehouse · Charactorium
