Chopped Chicken Liver - Two Versions

Here are the two versions of chopped liver according to our family recipe. When I was young my dad used to ask me each time which version I wanted and I would pick. I have no idea why Americans hate chicken liver so much. It's delicious and very healthy!

Version 1: "Classic" Chopped Liver

Source: Family recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yields: About 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 yellow onions, chopped
• 4 tbsp. ghee or butter
• 2 lb. chicken livers
• 3 hard boiled eggs 
• ½ cup chicken stock (from powder is ok)
• 1 tbsp. brandy
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions:

1. Clean the livers from all the tendons. Cut them into 1" pieces or less.
2. Fry the onions and set aside, keep the butter in the pan.
3. Bring to very hot and fry the livers in the butter. Small pieces cook fast and you should be done in about 2 minutes. Careful not to dry it too much and remove once both sides turned mostly brown.
4. Process the livers, onions and eggs in a meat grinder with the finest screen.
5. Add the brandy, salt etc. and half the stock.
6. Mix into a uniform paste. Add the rest of the stock if too dry.
7. Cool in the fridge for 6 hours.

Garnish:

• Finely ground hard boiled egg white
• Cut onion into long strands, dip in milk, shake in a plastic bag with flour, deep fry until golden and dry with paper towel.

Version 2: "Rough" Chopped liver

Ingredients:

• Same as the "classic", but without the brandy and stock
• 2 scallions finely chopped
• Optional: 3 small radishes, diced

Directions:

1. Instead of processing with a meat grinder, finely chop all the ingredients with a knife.
2. Mix lightly in a bowl.

Beef Tongue - Our Family's Recipe

This is our family's traditional beef tongue recipe. I'm posting it this time of year in light of the upcoming passover holiday.

Medium size beef tongue

Source: family recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2-3 hours, plus time for cooling.
Yields: about 12-18 servings, depending on the size of the tongue

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large beef tongue (from grass fed beef preferably)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2-3 carrots, sliced
• 1 celery root, sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• 4-6 garlic cloves, sliced
• Parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

      For hot tongue also:

• 1 medium onion, diced and fried
• 1 Basket of white or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• Chicken soup powder

Instructions:

1. Wash the tongue, place in a pressure cooker together with the first batch of ingredients and cover with water. Cook for 45 minutes or alternatively 2 hours in a regular pot.
2. Let cool for a bit. Take the warm tongue out of the liquids and put inside a plastic bag until it's not to hot to handle with hands.
3. It should now be easier to peal it. Use a knife for the parts that won't peal easily.
4. Put in the fridge to cool down completely, or even in the freezer afterwards for a few minutes.
5. Cut into thin slices. Should be easier if tongue is very cold.
6. If you prefer to serve cold - use as is along with mustard and pickles.
7. For hot tongue, spread the slices in a pan with a slight overlap.
8. Spread the fried onions and mushrooms on top, cover with liquid from cooking and sprinkle with chicken soup powder.
9. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.
10. Take out of pan with a spatula so not the break the slices. Serve hot.

Gefilte Fish - Our Family's Recipe

This is our family's traditional Gefilte Fish (stuffed fish) recipe. It has been handed down from my grandma to my dad and now it's up to me to pass it on.

The finished product

Source: family recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Yields: about 36 servings

Ingredients:

• 4.5 lbs ground carp filet or white fish. Optional: save the bones, heads and tails
• 6 medium onions
• 6 carrots, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup matzo meal
• 6 eggs
• 1+ cup sugar
• 1+ tbsp paprika 
• 3+ tbsp salt
• Black pepper

Instructions:

1. Make stock using about 9 cups of water, sliced carrots, tomatoes and 2 sliced onions, 3 tbsp salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp paprika, black pepper to taste and the fish heads/tail/bones if you got them. Bring to boil and cook on low for 30 minutes.
2. While stock is cooking, grind the ground carp a second time using the fine disc of a meat grinder together with 4 onions.
3. Mix in the eggs, matzo meal, and a bit more salt, pepper and sugar. You can taste but spit and don't swallow.
   
4. With wet hands, make patties from the mix and slide into the stock. If you have fish heads/tails/bones then get them out of the stock first.
5. Cook on low for 2 hours. Stock should cover the patties. Add boiling water if liquid level gets low. Cover with lid but leave a crack.
6. Once cool, take patties of the the stock with your hands and place on a pan. Put a slice of carrot on top of each patty. Cool in the fridge for 24 hours.
7. For sauce, strain stock liquid into a jar and let cool in the fridge for 24 hours.
8. Serve over a leaf of lettuce, with "ground red horseradish" on the side:
   
   • Boil beets for 30 minutes
   • Peel them
   • Grate them
   • Add grated horseradish root (beets:horseradish ratio about 3:1)
   • Add lemon, salt, sugar

The stock

The ground mix

Patties boiling