Jewish Deli Style Chopped Chicken Livers Food

TRADITIONAL JEWISH CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER

Steps:

• Cut away any tough pieces of liver, stringy tendons or discolored pieces of meat.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of schmaltz in a large cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat. Sauté half of the chicken livers in the skillet for 3 minutes on each side. Season generously with salt and pepper halfway through the cooking process.
• Once the livers are brown on the outside and firm to touch, place them in a mixing bowl along with the leftover schmaltz from the pan.
• Add another 2 tablespoons of schmaltz to the skillet and repeat the process with the remaining livers
• Add 2 large sliced onions to the schmaltz juices in the skillet. Cover and cook the onion undisturbed over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low. Remove the lid from the skillet. Stir the onions, and continue to cook them for 30-40 minutes more to caramelize the onions.
• Transfer the caramelized onions to the livers in the mixing bowl. Add 4 of the diced hard boiled eggs and ½ cup of gribenes (if using). Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Mince the liver mixture with a knife until it resembles a rough pâté.
• Taste the liver once it is chopped. Adjust the seasoning by adding salt or pepper to taste.
• Chill the liver in the refrigerator until serving.
• Garnish with the remaining hard boiled egg and freshly chopped parsley. Serve with crackers, matzo, or on rye.

JEWISH-STYLE CHICKEN LIVER PâTé

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Gently sauté onion and garlic in the fat over low heat until browned but not burned. Sprinkle onions and garlic with salt as soon as they begin to wilt.
• Slice 3 of the hard-boiled eggs in half. Refrigerate the remaining egg to be used for garnish.
• Scrape the sautéed onion, garlic, and drippings into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Blend until smooth.
• Add hard-boiled eggs, cooked chicken livers, black pepper, and nutmeg. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, keeping in mind that flavor will increase during refrigeration.
• Scrape chicken liver mixture into plastic wrap-lined decorative mold or bowl.
• Cover with another layer of plastic wrap, pressing wrap to touch the top of the pâté . Refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, take the pâté from the refrigerator and remove plastic wrap covering. Invert onto a decorative dish and remove the bottom layer of plastic wrap.
• Let rest at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour, then grate remaining hard-boiled eggs over the top before serving.

KATZ'S CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• The recipe does not call for it and of course it would not meet kosher requirements, but I always soak my liver in milk for an hour or two. I find that this really improves the taste of liver, especially beef liver.
• Heat broiler to high, and place beef livers on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.
• Place chicken livers on baking sheet and broil until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes; Transfer to food processor.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to food processor.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth.
• Transfer to a medium bowl, cover with plastic film and chill.
• Note: If you have a small food processor, cut the cooked beef liver into smaller pieces, quarter the eggs, mix with the chicken livers and all other ingredients in a large bowl, then process in batches.
• Note2: I use butter, as I don't usually have schmaltz.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Prepare schmaltz and gribenes ahead of time, or purchase schmaltz from your local kosher market. Goose fat or duck fat can be used in place of schmaltz if desired. Prepare the livers by cutting off any tough pieces or stringy tendons. You should also cut away any pieces of liver that look discolored, yellow or strange. This is pretty much the worst prep job ever, as uncooked liver has a soft and slimy texture, so make sure this step is done by someone with a strong stomach.
• Add 2 tbsp schmaltz or oil into a large cast iron or nonstick skillet and melt over medium heat. Put half of the chicken livers into the skillet and fry them for 3 minutes on each side (about 6 minutes total). Season the livers generously with salt and pepper as they are cooking. *Note: If you plan to kosher your chicken livers by broiling them prior to making chopped liver, you will only need to sauté them in the skillet for about 1 minute on each side. Koshering the livers cooks them, so there is no need to sauté them for a long period of time. Be careful not to overcook or burn the livers, or they will become dry.
• After cooking, livers should be firm and browned on the outside while slightly pink on the inside. They will continue to cook internally after you remove them from the skillet; don't overcook them, or they will turn dry. When the livers are brown and firm, pour them into a medium-size mixing bowl along with the leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan. Add another 2 tbsp of schmaltz/oil to the skillet, melt it, and fry the remaining livers repeating the same process as above. Add the livers and leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan to the mixing bowl.
• The skillet should now be seasoned with schmaltz or oil, so you don't need to grease the pan again. Add the onion slices to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low.Cover the skillet and let the onion cook undisturbed over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Check once or twice during cooking just to make sure they are not over-browning or starting to burn. The onions should be softening, but not darkening at this point. This "steaming" process kick-starts the caramelization needed for sweetness in the chopped livers.
• Uncover the skillet, stir the onions, and continue to sauté them for another 30-40 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to keep the onions from burning. Ideally the onions should be deeply caramelized, tender and sweet - this is what gives Jewish chopped liver its trademark savory-sweetness.Don't try to speed up the caramelization process, it takes time-- and that's ok. Good things are worth waiting for. When the onions have reduced to about 1/3 of their original size and are soft, sweet, and golden, they're ready.
• Add the cooked onions to the mixing bowl along with 4 of the diced hard boiled eggs and the ½ cup of gribenes (optional). Season all ingredients generously with salt and pepper.
• Now it's time to chop all of the ingredients together into a blended mix. There are various schools of thought on the "right" way to chop liver. The old fashioned way is to chop it by hand with a knife, mincing and mincing until it resembles a rough pâté.
• Another popular method is using a meat grinder. I use a meat grinding attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer on the fine hole setting. Works like a charm.If you want to take a more modern approach, fit your food processor with a metal blade. Place all ingredients into the processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, stirring once halfway through processing, until a roughly textured paste forms.
• Whatever method you choose, it's important to taste the chopped liver once it is ground. Add salt or pepper to taste, if desired. Be a bit generous with the seasoning, as the liver is best served chilled and the seasoning won't taste as strong after chilling.
• Chill the chopped liver in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with remaining diced hardboiled egg and minced parsley.

JEWISH DELI-STYLE CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVERS

Steps:

• Prepare the Schmaltz as directed in the recipe. Rinse the livers and pat them dry with paper towels.
• In a large saute pan set over meidum heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the Schmaltz and saute the livers until browned, turning once, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side. They should be just barely pink inside. Don't overcook them or they will be dry. Transfer the livers to a cutting board to cool.
• Using the same pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of the Schmaltz and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the cooked onions and livers to the bowl of a food processor. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons of Schmaltz. Pulse 6 to 8 times, until coarsely chopped. Do not puree. Taste for seasoning and chill at least 2 hours before serving.
• Serve with toast, crackers, or mazto and cornichons.

SECOND AVENUE DELI'S CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Rinse livers thoroughly, and cut away membranes and extra fat. Cut beef liver into 1-inch pieces; chicken livers can remain whole. Place livers in a large baking pan, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Broil 8 to 10 minutes (keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn). Turn, and broil until fully cooked and lightly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to shallow bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons schmaltz, over medium heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep-golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
• In a food processor, combine half the liver, half the onions, 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons schmaltz, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Process until smooth. Repeat. Chill before serving.

TRADITIONAL JEWISH CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Bring small saucepan of water with eggs to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and set the timer for 9 minutes. Once timer has gone off, plunge eggs under cold water and cool completely. Peel and set aside. Cook onion in a sauté pan, with 2 tablespoons of schmaltz, over medium heat until medium golden brown and very soft. Add chicken livers and stir to combine. Turn off heat and add brandy and thyme. Turn heat on low (be careful as the brandy might ignite) and cook until all brandy has been absorbed or evaporated. Remove thyme and process mixture plus remaining schmaltz in food processor until creamy and smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer liver to a decorative bowl or platter and chill at least 1 hour. Garnish as desired and serve with matzo or thinly sliced rye bread. If you can't find kashered chicken livers see how it's done:

CLASSIC JEWISH CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER RECIPE

Steps:

• If Using a Grill for the Livers: Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over half of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Proceed to step 3.
• If Using a Broiler for the Livers: Preheat broiler and move oven rack to highest position. Oil a slotted broiler pan, or a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Using a paring knife, clean livers well of any fat, green spots, or large veins. Season all over with kosher salt. If using a grill, grill livers over high heat, turning frequently, until they are very lightly charred in spots and only the last traces of pink remain in their centers. If using the broiler, arrange livers on the prepared broiler pan or wire rack and broil, turning frequently, until exteriors are well-browned and only the last traces of pink remain in the centers. (If you are unsure about whether the livers are done, cut them open to check.) Remove from oven or grill and set aside.
• Scrape minced liver and egg mixture into a mixing bowl. Scrape in cooked onion, along with all of the cooking fat. Add minced gribenes, if using. Stir until thoroughly combined, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.
• Add as much extra schmaltz as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency. Exactly how much this is will depend on several variables, including your personal preference, though we recommend that chopped liver be spreadable and moist, not dry and crumbly.

NANA'S CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Brown liver on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). When the liver is done, set aside in glass dish. Allow the liver to cool for about 15 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, covered, or overnight.
• While liver is cooling on counter, cook onions on medium heat in the same pan. Add more oil if necessary. Onions should cook until they are translucent and soft, but not brown, approximately 5-10 minutes. When finished, set aside in a separate dish and let cool in refrigerator until you are ready to process the liver.
• Reserve oil from frying pan and store in airtight container. You do not need to refrigerate this.
• Cook and peel two hard boiled eggs. Let cool, then mashed them. Remove liver from refrigerator.
• Prepare meat grinder. Alternate putting liver and onions in grinder. Add some mashed eggs in between. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the liver is not smooth enough to your liking, either add some of the reserved oil or some fresh vegetable oil to achieve your desired consistency.
• Put the chopped liver in a large bowl and chill overnight in the refrigerator. Serve the next day.