Have you ever had chopped liver?
I’m sure you’ve heard of it in an idiomatic sense, as in “What am I? Chopped liver?”
If you’ve ever been to a traditional delicatessen, you may have seen an odd-looking tan paste covered in chopped egg in the cold salad case, or if you were lucky, on your table.
It’s honestly quite gross-looking. It has history in the “use every part of the animal” of most cultures that was prevalent before we all started wasting the nasty bits. There was almost always fat and liver left over after cooking a chicken or duck for its meat, so these would get fried with onions and then chopped into a paste that would be eaten with bread or crackers.
But really, the thought of buying, cleaning, and cooking chicken livers totally grosses me out, beside the fact that it’s a completely and totally unhealthy dish. Many many years ago, my mom found and perfected a recipe for a mock chopped liver that completely fooled many chopped liver connoisseurs. The secret ingredient?
Lentils.
She gave me the recipe about a year ago, and I have her permission to post it tonight, and because I love you all, I even took pictures of a lot of the process. Actually, I wasn’t going to, but then the lentils made me laugh. Don’t ask, you’ll see.
Start off by hard-boiling at least 5 eggs. I did 9 because we like hard-boiled eggs, but 5 would suffice.
Then, slice a large onion and realize its near impossible to take a photo of a round food with a pink chef’s knife without it looking totally inappropriate.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, then add the onion slices and sprinkle them with a teaspoon of kosher salt.
Cook until they’re brown and almost caramelized.
This is about halfway:
There we go…
While the onions are frying, cook the lentils. I opted to microwave-cook them because, to be honest, I was lazy and only had one clean pot at the moment. I covered the pound of lentils with about 6 cups of water and microwaved on high for about 12 minutes. When I opened the microwave door, the lentils made me giggle.
Watch:
- 1 lb dry lentils
- 6-7 cups water
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 5 hard boiled eggs (2 whole eggs, 3 whites)
- 2 teaspoons salt
DIrections
Put the lentils in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with the water. Microwave on full power for 12-15 minutes. While the lentils are cooking, fry the onions in the oil, lightly sprinkling with salt, until the onions are lightly browned and soft. Drain and rinse the lentils when cooked, and place in the food processor with the onions and eggs. Add salt and process until a coarse paste forms. serve
If you try this out, please let me (and mom!) know what you think, we love it around here!
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my goodness!! I can’t wait to try this! My grandma makes the best chopped liver – best for my lips, that is, not my hips!
Exactly!! Let me know what you think if you make it
Mara! What a fantastic idea here. And I’m swooning over those caramelized onions. Miss you, girl, and hope all is well!
Rose´s last [type] ..That Golden Pumpkin Glow
Miss you too!!!
Thanks for sharing a family heirloom! I’m not sure that I like chopped liver, but I like everything that goes into this recipe, so I guess I’d probably like it!
emily (a nutritionist eats)´s last [type] ..the reading list {10.19.11}
OOOH….I’ve bookmarked this. I’ve had “real” chopped liver before, and just LOVE it (which is weird, because liver in itself…ewww) – I’m going to give this a go. Thanks Mara. And Thanks Mara’s Mom!!
Roz@weightingfor50´s last [type] ..New Word Wednesday #62
I’m not a big fan of organ meats, so this is a cool fake-out! Plus I lurve caramelized onions. Thanks to your mom for sharing it and you for making it!
Spiceaholic´s last [type] ..Ringside Franks & Shakes
This is soo interesting. My mom makes a dip with liverwurst and cream cheese and its wonderful, but I never make it because it is super fattening. This is very timely too, because I just made lentil soup last night and had half a bag leftover. I am very intrigued with this…it really does look like liver pate. If it tastes pretty close with so much less calories I just have to try it!
Becki’s Whole Life´s last [type] ..Chocolate Cake with Fluffy Seven Minute Frosting
I just made this tonight, and it was really good! My only criticism is that it makes way too much. I do not know how I will eat it all before it goes bad. Do you know how long it will last? Also my roommate said it has too much of an egg flavor, but I didn’t notice it.
I’m so glad you liked it! I really should’ve prefaced the recipe with that it makes a ton… I’ve found that its really good for about a week, but it does freeze pretty well! My grandma used to keep it in the freezer and thaw it slowly in the fridge, and it was good as fresh.