"Chopped Liver" Two Ways
Chopped liver is a beloved classic from high holidays and family gatherings like Passover to sunny picnics with bread and cheese. This is Lior’s mother’s recipe with his added touches and big, fluffy, hand-chopped pieces and hard-boiled egg balanced with caramelized onion, Baharat, and sherry vinegar. I always feel left out watching people enjoy Chopped Liver so included below is my vegetarian version. It’s full of roasted mushrooms and coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts along with the same Baharat and other goodies - but I make it a little more chopped. Both go great with matzoh, family, and friends.
Check out the recipe notes below for a quick and easy no peel hard-cooked egg method. Also, check out the notes on nutrition from our contributor, Nikki Ostrower.
Category
Appetizer
Servings/Yield
2 ½ cups per recipe
Author
Lior Lev Sercarz and Helen Park
Ingredients
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1 tsp fine sea salt
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1 ½ tsp Baharat
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½ tsp ground black pepper
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½ cup olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 pound chicken liver, trimmed and blotted dry
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar, divided
2 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp roughly chopped parsley
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut into ¼’s
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½ cup olive oil
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
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1 tsp fine sea salt
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1 tsp Baharat
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1 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
2 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Lior’s Chopped Liver
Helen’s Vegetarian “Chopped Liver”
Directions
Lior’s Chopped Liver:
Combine the salt, Baharat, and pepper.
In a heavy bottom skillet, heat ¼ cup of olive oil until shimmering and add the onion and half of the Baharat seasoning mix.
When ready, deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and remove the onions to a plate and set aside to cool.
Heat another heavy bottom skillet with the remaining olive oil until shimmering and add the chicken livers and other half of the Baharat seasoning mix over high heat. Let the livers get a good sear for 4-5 minutes, or until caramelized on the edges.
When ready, deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and remove the onions to a plate and set aside to cool.
Chill the onions and liver completely for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
Hand chop the onions and liver, folding in the chopped egg and finishing with the chopped parsley. Adjust the seasoning with more salt, Baharat, and black pepper if needed. The mixture should be roughly chopped with the largest pieces about ½” inch.
Helen’s Vegetarian “Chopped Liver”
In a heavy bottom skillet large enough to fit the mushrooms in a single layer, heat the olive oil until shimmering and add the mushroom. Allow the mushrooms to cook over high heat, untouched, until the edges start turning golden brown.
Give the mushrooms a stir and continue roasting in the pan until they are evenly golden brown all around.
When ready, add the thinly sliced red onion and continue cooking until they are cooked through and caramelized.
Add the walnuts, salt, Baharat, and black pepper and stir well to combine.
Turn off the heat and add the sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan and remove to a tray to cool to room temperature.
When the mushroom mixture is cooled, place it in a food processor with the eggs and parsley, and pulse just a few times until the mixture is roughly chopped.
This is what the no peel cooked eggs look like.
Transfer the mixture to a container to chill. Adjust the seasoning with more salt, Baharat, and black pepper if needed.
Recipe Note
Recipe Notes
For a quick and easy NO PEEL method for hard boiled eggs, crack 2 eggs into a microwave safe bowl. Pierce each yolk and cover the top with a loose-fitting lid. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, depending on the strength of the microwave, until the eggs are cooked through. Allow the eggs to cool, covered, and chop as needed for the chopped liver recipe above, egg salad, tuna salad, Japanese potato salad, caviar garnish, etc.
Variations and Ideas
For an herby version, you could try Riviera Herbs in place of the Baharat. For a warm and smoky version, Ararat would be a great option.
Nutrition Notes
By Nikki Ostrower
Chopped liver brings back such beautiful memories. My Grammy always set out her delicious chopped liver as an appetizer for us before family dinners and holidays.
She had no clue she was feeding us one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. In fact, I remember my family saying how “bad” it was for you, even referring to it as a “cheat food”! If only they knew what we know now.
Liver is packed with the highest amount of vitamins and minerals than any other food choice - Vitamin A, E, D, and K, high amounts of B Vitamins including B12 and folate, as well as iron.
Liver also contains a good dose of CoQ10, selenium, copper, and zinc. It’s nature’s multivitamin, and the perfect food a Nutritionist could ever ask for!
These chopped liver recipes are excellent. In Lior’s chopped liver, I love the “Baharat” seasoning, which means “spices” in Arabic. This is a very popular spice in Middle Eastern dishes containing allspice, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
I also love the addition of hard-boiled eggs for extra healthy fat, protein (7g or one whole serving of protein per egg), and choline which supports brain health.
Helen’s recipe highlights nutrient-rich mushrooms as the vegetarian “liver” substitute, as well as vitamin and mineral-rich parsley (A, K, C, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium), and walnuts. Walnuts are also great for brain health and look like a brain when cracked out of its shell. Nature is so brilliant that way.
Whichever recipe you choose, you can’t go wrong with Helen and Lior’s “Chopped Liver”. Though I must admit, I’m partial to the chicken liver for all those reasons above.
If you are nervous to try it, these seasonings and spices will add so much delectable flavor that you won’t notice any aftertaste! Give it a try and tell us what you think!
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
