CHOPPED LIVER, NY Deli Style

Jtmichcock under 
GNU Free Documentation License via Wikipedia

Carnegie Delicatessen established in 1937. Purveyors of traditional Jewish foods and other non-Jewish food, it's a popular go-to place for natives and tourists. 


What is the meaning and origin of the expression: "What am I? Chopped liver." According to Ask The Rabbi, Ohr Somayach, "As far as I know, the origins of the phrase are not Yiddish; I believe the phrase was originally coined in America. Being that chopped liver was always considered a side dish and not a main course, the phrase was used to express hurt and amazement when a person feels he has been overlooked and treated just like a 'side dish'."

Despite her Southwestern origins, my daughter-in-law, The Girl from New Mexico, likes a good Brooklyn nosh or two. So when we celebrated her birthday a week-ago this past Sunday, we made chopped liver as part of her birthday gift . . . a whole pound . . . made from mutant chicken livers purchased from the Whole Foods Market across the street. They were the biggest, purest, freshest chopped livers we've ever seen. Yum! I didn't know where to get schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) around here (California), so I substituted fresh, unsweetened butter. Definitely not kosher, but neither are we. And since Karen likes to go mostly wheat-and-gluten free, we substituted gluten-free crackers for the usual Jewish rye. The recipe we share, however, is the original, authentic version. The chopped liver itself is naturally wheat-and-gluten free and needs no modification for those with Celiac Disease or wheat-and-gluten sensitivity.

Chopped liver and  creamed herring. Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

CHOPPED LIVER, NY DELI STYLE

The recipe

Serves four as an appetizer

(Unless you're from New Mexico. Then it's a party-in-a-bowl just for one.)

• 1 lb. of fresh chicken livers, rinse, pat dry with paper towels, and chop
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup of schmaltz
• 2 large omega-3 eggs, perfectly hard-boiled and chopped
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Gluten-free Crackers, or if you don't have to go gluten-free, the traditional matzoh or toasted rye (cut the slices into quarters).

Gently caramelize the onions in two-or-three tablespoons of schmaltz. That is sauté them until they are golden brown but not burned or crisp. Set the onions aside and add more schmaltz to the pan. Sauté the livers being careful not to overdo or they will be too dry.

Put the onions and the liver into a bowl and mash as you would potatoes. I do it with my hands actually, but you can use a food processor. You're essentially making a paté. Add 1/2 the chopped eggs and the seasoning and blend again. Put in a serving bowl and top with the remaining eggs. Serve with cracker or bread as a side or an appetizer.


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