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APPETIZERS AND PARTY SNACKS
Appetizers play an important part in a Jewish-style meal. They are intended to sharpen your appetite for the courses to follow, and most Jewish families like meals of several courses. Incidentally, many of the appetizers which follow are just about ideal for cocktail parties—bowls of chopped liver served with thinly sliced rye bread; pickled herring cut into small pieces; eggplant spread on pumpernickel. In the FISH section you will find a recipe that has become a great favorite as an appetizer: tiny balls of gefilte fish served with a horseradish dip. Bite-size knishes, blintzes or miniature strudels are popular, too. But above all, remember that appetizers are intended to pique or stimulate your appetite, not satisfy it.
Chopped Chicken Livers
1 pound chicken livers
4 tablespoons rendered chicken fat
2 onions, diced
3 hard-cooked egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Wash the livers and remove any discolored spots. Drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons fat in a frying pan; brown the onions in it. Remove the onions. Cook the livers in the fat remaining in the skillet for 10 minutes. You can grind or chop the onions, livers and egg yolks, but be sure you have a smooth mixture. Add the salt, pepper and remaining fat. Mix and taste for seasoning.
Serve cold with crackers as a spread or on lettuce. Serves 6 as an appetizer or 12 as a spread.
Chopped Liver
1 pound calf’s, beef or chicken livers
2 onions
2 hard-cooked eggs
3 tablespoons rendered chicken fat
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Wash the liver and combine in a saucepan with 1 onion and water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Drain and discard the onion. Remove skin from liver.
Grind or chop the liver, eggs and remaining onion until smooth. Blend in the fat, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
Serve on lettuce leaves. If you like, garnish with a little chicken fat on each portion. Serves 6 as an appetizer or 12 as a spread.
Vegetarian Chopped Liver
1 cup sliced onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 hard-cooked eggs
2 California sardines (in tomato sauce)
½ cup walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Cook the onion in the butter for 15 minutes. Place in a chopping bowl and add the eggs, sardines, walnuts, salt and pepper. Chop until very fine. Chill and serve on lettuce with rye bread. Serves 4 as an appetizer or 8 as a spread.
Dairy Liver
3 tablespoons salad oil
1½ pounds mushrooms, sliced
½ cup diced onion
1 hard-cooked egg
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Heat the oil in a skillet. Cook the mushrooms and onion over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Chop the mushrooms, onion, egg, salt and pepper together until smooth. Chill. Serves 6 as an appetizer or 12 as a spread.
Eggplant Spread
1 medium eggplant
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons salad or olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
Bake the eggplant in a 475° oven until skin turns dark brown. Cool and peel.
Chop the eggplant until very smooth. Stir in the onion, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and sugar. Chill. Serve with dark bread and wedges of tomatoes. Serves 4–6.
Calf’s Brains Appetizer
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 calf’s brains
¾ cup chopped onions
3 tablespoons salad oil
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Bring the vinegar, water and salt to a boil. Add the brains. Cover and cook over low heat 25 minutes. Drain and cool. Remove the membrane.
Chop the brains, onions, oil, pepper and lemon juice together. Taste for seasoning. Chill. Serves 6.
Chopped Eggs and Onions
8 hard-cooked eggs
¾ cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons rendered chicken fat
Chop the eggs and onions together until very fine. Blend in the salt, pepper and fat. Chill. Arrange on lettuce leaves. Serves 6 as an appetizer or 12 as a spread.
Chickpea “Hot Dogs”
1 pound dried chickpeas
3 slices white bread, trimmed
2 eggs
½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon diced ground red peppers
1¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Fat for deep frying
Wash the chickpeas and soak overnight in cold water. Drain.
Grind the peas and bread together. Mix in the eggs, garlic, red peppers, salt and pepper. Shape into finger-length rolls. Chill for 1 hour.
Heat the fat to 370° in a deep kettle and carefully drop the “hot dogs” into it. Fry until browned. Drain. Serve with mustard or hot chili sauce. Makes about 20.
Petcha
2 calf’s feet
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
4 hard-cooked eggs
Have the feet chopped up. Pour boiling water over them and scrape with a sharp knife.
Combine the feet, onions, 2 cloves of garlic, the water, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat 3½ hours. Strain the soup. Cut the meat from the bones and divide among 2 or 3 pie plates. Put the remaining garlic through a press and mix it into the soup. Pour the soup into pie plates. Let it set for ½ hour, then slice the eggs and arrange in the pie plates. Sprinkle with black pepper and chill.
You may serve 12, but if you really like it there’s only enough for 6.
Chopped Herring
6 fillets of salt herring
3 tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup chopped apple
2 hard-cooked eggs
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 slices white bread, trimmed
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons salad oil
Soak the herring in water to cover overnight. Change the water twice. Drain.
Chop the onion, apple, eggs and herring together. Pour the vinegar over the bread and add to the herring with the sugar and oil. Chop until very smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar if needed. Chill.
Serves 8 as an appetizer or as many as 24 as a spread.
Jennie’s Herring Salad
4 fillets of salt herring
4 scallions
6 radishes
2 tomatoes
2 green peppers
1 cup shredded lettuce
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons salad oil
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cut the herring into half-inch pieces. Slice the scallions and radishes, cut the tomatoes into quarters or eighths and dice the peppers. Toss these ingredients together with the lettuce, vinegar, oil, sugar, paprika and pepper. Chill and serve as an appetizer. Serves 6.
