Chopped Liver With Olive Oil Food

CHOPPED LIVER RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the chicken livers on paper towels to drain. Place the eggs in your food processor bowl.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large 12-inch skillet. Add the chopped onion and fry until golden, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook a few more seconds, just until no longer raw. Using a spatula, transfer the skillet contents, including any remaining oil, to the food processor.
• Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the chicken livers and cook them over medium heat (not higher or they could burst) until brown on the outside and barely pink on the inside, about 3 minutes per side. Overcooked livers are dry and grainy.*
• Again, use the spatula to transfer the skillet contents, including the livers, the oil, and any tasty bits left on the bottom of the skillet, to the food processor.
• Add the salt and pepper. Process briefly, about 30 seconds, stopping once to scrape the sides and bottom with a spatula. You don't want the chopped liver to be as smooth as a liver pate. It should have a bit more texture to it.
• Transfer the chopped liver to a serving dish. Cover and keep in the fridge for at least two hours, allowing the flavors to meld. Don't eat it when still warm! It won't be very good. It needs time to develop its deep flavor. Its flavor, as well as its texture, greatly improves after a rest in the fridge.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the livers and sear until browned on one side, about 1 minute.
• Turn the livers over, add the shallots to the pan, and continue to cook until the livers are browned on the other side, about 1 minute more. Add the thyme and cook, stirring, for another minute or so. Remove the pan from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of the schmaltz and ¼ cup of the cognac. Stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the mixture to a food processor and let cool to room temperature. When livers are at room temperature, add the remaining 1/4 cup of schmaltz and the remaining 1/4 cup of cognac and process in the food processor until smooth.
• Transfer the puree to 4 (4-ounce) ramekins or a terrine large enough to hold it all.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (it will keep well in the refrigerator and can be frozen, as well).
• Bring to room temperature before serving.

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER

Steps:

• Remove the membrane from the livers. Cure them overnight with the salt and baharat. The next day, place livers in a pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and broil until the livers are golden brown and cooked through, approximately 15 minutes. While the livers are roasting, slice the onion, drizzle with remaining olive oil, and add a large pinch of salt. Cook over low heat in a pan until very caramelized, about 1 hour.
• When onions are soft, deeply brown, and caramelized, add sherry vinegar and reduce to dry.
• Add livers, caramelized onions, halved hard-boiled eggs, and a pinch of salt to a food processor and purée to desired consistency. Serve on rye toast, garnished with hard-boiled egg, raw onion, and dill.

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.