Chopped Liver

[Simon Majumdar]

At the Xmas London Bash, Macrosan handed out a number of boxes of chopped liver which he ( and I believe, primarily Mrs Macrosan ) had taken time to prepare

Two packages contained the liver and chicken fat and fried onions and pickled cucumber with instructions for us non kosher types on how to prepare

This was the most sensational chopped liver I have ever tried and I wanted to get some more recipes as I have to try and make this again

A huge thanks to Mr & Mrs M but please

LET MY RECIPE GO!!!!!

S

[stefanyb]

Simon-

Please explain. It was prepared chopped chicken livers, to which you added fat and onions? It came in boxes? I need some answers here!

[Suzanne F]

Pickled cucumber???? Do tell!

Off-topic comment: you mean there's a Mrs. Macrosan? Phooey. Then I take back my comment on the Bride of Etiquette thread. (Well, no, not really, since there is also a Mr. Suzanne F )

[pjs]

Simon,

If you want the Kosher Kontingent to post chopped liver recipes be more specific. Chicken liver, calves liver, combination of both? Eggy or not? Most important---do you have a container of chicken fat in the fridge?

PJ

[Simon Majumdar]

OK

Macrosan brought a number of pre-requestees gifts to the UK Xmas bash.

The well wrapped parcels contained

1) A tupperware box of pre chopped chicken livers with something mixed in ( that's what I am trying to discern )

2) A box with chciken fat, friend onions and a pickled cucumber

The brief instructions were to render the fat, mix with the onions and liver and eat.

Er, that's it.

I just wanted this fleshing out a bit.

It was excellent and I would not mind trying to make myself

S

[Kikujiro]

Yeah, a little elaboration for those of us less in touch with our heritage would be cool.

Am I being a fool, or is the chicken fat raw but the onion already cooked? If so, should I be concerned about eating the already-prepared bits (the onion and the cucumber) that have been in contact with the chicken fat? Should I not fry onion i the chicken fat anyway? Do I add all the rendered fat to the (decimated, in the literal sense) chopped liver?

Also, like Simon, I'm curious to know what's in the already prepared chopped liver.

I am looking forward to this once I've worked it out. In the meantime, the chopped liver as it stands is sensational. It could become an unhealthy new addiction.

edit: I see Macrosan's posting in here right now. I'm going to hang out until he finishes.

Edited December 15, 2002 by Kikujiro (log)

[macrosan]

Now this is a long, sad story

Mrs Macro was clearly and unambiguously requested to prepare 7 portions of chopped chicken liver and schmaltz. The evening before the Sutton Arms, she completed the chopped liver (granted, in excellently large portions ) while I prepared the fried onions. She then informed me that she didn't have time to do the schmaltz. Schmaltz (in our household at least) is a by-product of making chicken soup, and I think the reality was that as we'd had turkey and not chicken the previous week, and she never keeps turkey schmaltz, she just couldn't be bothered making schmaltz specially.

Well, as you would expect, I made perfectly clear to Mrs Macro that this was unacceptable, that her attitude left much to be desired, and that eGulleteers were unaccustomed to such cavalier treatment. Our respective lawyers are now going over our various statements and submissions

Well, I had to make do with the next best option, which was to purchase some raw chicken fat from our butcher, and provide this to the recipients so that they could (if they wished) make their own schmaltz.

The chopped liver is fine on its own, best on Polish rye bread, and pretty good on matzo or Jacobs cream crackers. Some people (like me ) prefer it with a small amount of fried onion stirred into the mix. Others find the chopped liver dry, and like to mix in some schmaltz. Some like both. It's entirely a matter of taste, and I suggested to everyone that they experiment with small quantities to see which combination they like best. The "new green" cucumber is one of very many styles of pickled cucumber, but it's the one that I personally think goes best with chopped liver.

Incidentally, what you all got was chopped chicken livers. Sometimes Mrs Macro makes chopped chicken and calves' liver blended together, which is stronger in flavour.

I have requested a recipe from Mrs Macro (through her lawyers of course) but she says she makes up the quantities as she goes along, and also that the contents depend on the particular livers she gets. She is planning to make some more at the end of next week, so I'm going to stand beside her with notepad and pen, and I will then post the resulting recipe here.

Edited December 15, 2002 by macrosan (log)

[Steve Plotnicki]

What's this pickle thing about? I never heard of a pickle with chopped liver. Is that a British/Jewish thing? And are we taking about what we would call sour pickles in the U.S.? Half sour or whole sour? What's the deal with this?

[Kikujiro]

Macrosan,

Thank you very much for the elucidation (and thanks again to you and Mrs Macrosan for the fantastic gift). I am already raving about the chopped livers sans schmaltz, but I think I will be unable to resist trying it with as well. Luckily, the quantity provided was heroically generous, so I will be able to do both quite comfortably

[macrosan]

What's this pickle thing about? I never heard of a pickle with chopped liver. Is that a British/Jewish thing? And are we taking about what we would call sour pickles in the U.S.? Half sour or whole sour? What's the deal with this?

Stick with me, Steve, and I'll teach you a thing or two New green is a sour pickle, very light. The pickled cucumber looks pretty much like a raw cucumber. Is it a British-Jewish thing ? I never thought so, but you'll never get chopped liver in a Jewish restaurant here without being offered pickled cucumbers. I thought you'd been to Bloom's

[Sandra Levine]

Kind of like being served a cornichon with pate de maison in the French restaurant.

[La Niña]

I believe wholeheartedly in eating pickles with chopped liver, but mixed in? Nevah hoid of it.

[Sandra Levine]

I didn't get the impression that the pickle was to be mixed in. I agree, that would be most unusual.

[Kikujiro]

The pickle is presented in two large pieces, so I doubt mixing in was the intention.

Edited December 15, 2002 by Kikujiro (log)

[Kikujiro]

1) A tupperware box of pre chopped chicken livers with something mixed in ( that's what I am trying to discern )

Having had a bit more, I'm guessing boiled egg.

Off to the gym now, in a complex bit of quasi-Faustian self-negotiation that is meant to allow me to render chicken fat tomorrow.

[pjs]

At first I thought Mrs Macro was doing something devious in her recipe, like adding truffles. Having read the posts above I think it's standard-issue chopped liver--which is, after all, the best.

2½ lb cleaned chicken livers (or chicken and calves, I like half and half. Cut calves liver into pieces the size of the chicken livers)

4 cups sliced onion

4 hard boiled eggs

Vegetable oil

Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat)

In a large skillet saute the livers in equal quantities of veg oil and schmaltz, 1-2 tb ea. Have a cover for the pan handy as the chicken livers will pop and splatter. When cooked through, chill.

Treat the onions in exactly the same manner as the liver but cook until very brown and carmelized. Chill.

Combine liver, onions, eggs, a little additional schmaltz, and generous S&P in the food processor and pulse/process 'til you get the consistency you want. Don't over-do it. Chill.

Mrs Macro may have omitted the onions and used them as a condiment instead. I'd be interested in reading her version when the lawyers sort it out.

PJ

P.S. My father made those pickles. I called them half-sour half-sours.

[Kikujiro]

Okay, so I have raw chicken fat and an onion. From Google, I see at least two basic options available to me. The first is to render the fat in a pan with water to stop it from burning, let solidify, drain water, and then melt again and fry the onion in it. The other is to render the fat directly in a frying pan with the diced onion. People, I need guidance here.

[Simon Majumdar]

In the end we rendered the fat in a pan and mixed with the livers, we then added in the onions

I also added in some Chipotle tabasco at the table ( I can see Macrosan fainting )

It was very good indeed

S

[macrosan]

Oh no, not tabasco !!!!!!!!!!

Kiku, I prefer the pan and water option. Once melted down, put the pan in the fridge. The fat collects in a layer on the surface of the water. Then mix a small amount of that cold schmaltz into the chopped liver, don't reheat the schmaltz to melt it. If you just find the result too fatty, then don't add any extra schmaltz (I personally prefer it without the extra). The onions are already fried in a mixture of vegetable oil and schmaltz !!!!!

You know, you can experiment with all this in any combination you want. That's half the fun .

[Kikujiro]

In the end, I followed more or less the procedure described here although I omitted the apple as it sounded a bit arriviste and Gagnairey. (Despite Macrosan's kind provision of prepared onion, I decided to do the onion part because I had an onion to hand, it seemed that the onion wanted partly to flavour the schmaltz, and it looked like fun.)

I ended up with two containers of schmaltz, a clearer one taken off earlier and a darker one with brown flecks that had seen the onion through to the end. I chilled these and dried the crispy onions and gribenes on kitchen paper.

I prepared several small (honestly) pieces of toasted light rye (from St John), and added to them as follows.

1. A small smear of the clear schmaltz, s&p.

2. Ditto the darker schmaltz.

3. Mrs Macrosan's chopped liver combined with a little of the clear schmaltz, chopped raw onion.

4. MMCL combined with a little of the darker schmaltz, crispy onions and gribenes.

5. MMCL au naturel.

6. MMCL with a drop of Tabasco (didn't have the chipolte version), per Simon. Pepper.

With these I had some additional New Green pickle from the Nosherie (who concurred with macrosan's preference of this variety to accompany chopped liver). Evian.

I then did my best to compare. My takeaway:

* Both schmaltz-on-toast versions seemed fairly similar. I'm not sure I didn't prefer the darker one, which contravenes the advice I found online.

* Wasn't wild about the light schmaltz and raw onion version, which seemed a bit gelatinous and rude.

* The dark schmaltz, crispy onions and gribenes made the most substantial difference to taste and texture (sweeter, smokier). Liked this very much, but ...

* I think my favourite variant remains Mrs Macro's original, sans schmaltz, sans gribenes, onions, everything. The drier texture is more up my street, and the flavour is not hijacked by the onions, as was the case with the previous version. I'm glad that my remaining stock is unaltered. How long will this keep in the fridge?

* In the face of expectations, I thought the Tabasco worked pretty well. (What happened to the blush emoticon?)

Now I feel stuffed and can't contemplate dinner. I am reserving the schmaltzes for unspecified future use.

Edited December 16, 2002 by Kikujiro (log)

[bushey]

I just wanted this fleshing out a bit.

Siomn, I do believe you meant "fleishig" out.

I have a friend who is always experimenting with liver pate and gives us sample to try. Last week, when I dropped my daughter off at her house to make Christmas cookies (my kids get to experience the whole Christmas thing at their house), she gave me a couple of ramekins of liver for us to try. The texture looked smooth as silk and there were currants in it. She said "Have some of this and a glass of red wine and you'll be in heaven".

I can't bring myself to try it. I like the texture of chopped liver and the earthy smell. Don't like any of this gussied up stuff.

[hensonville]

I start the small pieces of fat off just covered with water, let it cook until the water boils off, and then cook it longer until it turns a nice golden brown. One step, one pan. Refrigerated in a jar it will keep for weeks and weeks.

[CathyL]

Hensonville, do you mean the gribenes turn golden brown, or do you keep rendering until the schmaltz is brown too?

I favor the same one step/one pan method.

Tabasco?!? Oy, these goyim...

[oraklet]

kikujiro,

i don't know about other cuisines, but in some old fashioned (!) danish recipies in the same genre, the apple part works just fine. goes well with chicken. should be sour, though. not french goldies.

[Kikujiro]

kikujiro,

i don't know about other cuisines, but in some old fashioned (!) danish recipies in the same genre, the apple part works just fine. goes well with chicken. should be sour, though. not french goldies.

I was worried it wasn't echt for a first go. Also, I didn't have an apple