Rosh Hashanah is just two weeks away. In honor of the impending Jewish New Year (5783 baby!), I’m sharing my mom’s really, truly, so very good recipe for vegetarian chopped liver.
If you’ve made it this far and you’re thinking “what the heck is chopped liver?” It’s basically Jewish foie gras.
It’s a pâté.
It’s a meat spread made of chicken livers, eggs, onion and spices.
Chopped liver is savory, iron-y and delectably rich. Some people avoid it for health reasons. Some people avoid it for vegetarian reasons. Some people avoid it because they find the idea of eating liver kind of gross.
Most of my family isn’t big on meat. I’m sorry if this makes you so mad you stop reading right now. But also, it’s 2022. Please get over it.
Sure, my great grandma has a delicious chopped liver recipe that we bust out on occasion. When we gather for the holidays we usually have a brisket or some form of chicken. But most of our dishes are mainly veg/carbs (shoutout to kugel).
Vegetarian chopped liver is always the star appetizer. The herbaceous, meat-free spread evokes the seasonings and consistency of real chopped liver, without being… ya know… meat! Plus, it’s great on Manischewitz Tam Tams or with a carrot stick.
I know chopped liver seems like more of a Jewish thing, but don’t get it twisted — anyone can make/enjoy chopped liver! Especially the vegetarian kind. That’s why I am sharing this. And if you’ve made it this far and you’re STILL shaking your head in disgust, thank you for logging that sweet, sweet time on site but you can officially log off!
NOW! THE RECIPE!
You can always make more or less but this should serve about 6 people.
You’ll need:
The vegetable oil of your choice
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup green beans
1 and 1/2 cups green peas
2 big onions, coarsely chopped
“A shit load of salt and pepper” – according to my mother
A pinch of lemon pepper
A little garlic powder
A food processor (or a blender that will pulse and not turn things into juice when you don’t want them to be).
DIRECTIONS:
Hard boil 3 eggs for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, peel and quarter.
Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a pan. Wait until the oil is shimmering. Then add your onion and cook until it starts to caramelize. Turn off burner heat.
Coarsely chop up your green beans, then add them to your onion pan, along with your green peas. Sauté everything together until cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to your food processor. Add eggs, onions, beans and peas. Season well with salt and pepper, add as much garlic powder as you like (I only like a pinch but it’s your VCL).
Start pulsing/blending/pulverizing. If it’s too thick, add a little more oil. You want the final product to be spreadable but NOT liquid-y. Think hummus or any other sort of dip!
Once you’re there or nearly there, add a pinch of lemon pepper to taste. I would mix it up with a spoon so as not to ruin the consistency.
Chill for several hours in an air-tight container. My mom said that if it’s not air-tight your refrigerator is gonna stink lol.
Serve chilled with lovely crackers and vegetables. You could also serve this with challah, which would be pretty good too.
Anyway, almost Shana Tovah!
L
Lately 