Shabbat Dips Duo
There is nothing quite like taking your challah on a Shabbos afternoon and dipping it into some delicious spreads. Two of my favorites are the Ashkenazi-loved chopped liver and Matbucha, the Moroccan, spicy-sweet tomato sauce. I have put a twist or two on both of these traditional recipes to take them to the next level. For the liver, instead of the usual gritty texture, I tried to create a more smooth, mousse-like feel by adding raw egg yolks to emulsify, lots of fat for richness, and more mixing in the processor than usual. When making the matbucha, I opted to char the bell peppers and jalapenos in order to achieve a smokey flavor you can only get from an open flame. These flavor packed dips are perfect for a pre-soup appetizer on Friday night or a side at Kiddush, lunch, or Seudat Shlishit.
Chicken Liver Mousse
Ingredients:
1 lb. of koshered and broiled chicken livers
1 medium white onion, sliced into quarter moons
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
6 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed (can replace with 1 tbsp. of dried thyme)
1⁄4 cup red wine
1⁄4 cup brandy
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 stick parve butter substitute, cubed
2 raw egg yolks, separated
2 tbsp. olive oil (plus a bit more for pan)
1 tbsp. maple syrup
Kosher Sea Salt
Instructions:
Prepare livers if not fully koshered or broiled.
Saute onions, garlic, and thyme on medium-high heat until softened and very fragrant.
Add in livers and mix, making sure that the livers do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Deglaze with wine and brandy until all the alcohol is burned off and liquid is significantly reduced in pan
Take pan off heat and pour everything into a bowl. Sit and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Place all the cooled ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for about 30 seconds. Add in a few cubes of the butter substitute and turn the processor on at constant speed.
As the processor whirls, continually add in more cubes, add the raw egg yolks, drizzle in the olive oil, and pour in maple syrup. The mixture should get significantly smoother, slightly thicker, and lighter in color, continually mixing for 4-5 minutes. Add in 2 generous pinches of Kosher salt. Turn the processor off and taste for seasoning: feel free to add more salt or syrup as you see fit.
Pour mixture into a container and place in fridge for 2+ hours, until firmed-up slightly and chilled.
Serve with crackers or challah and enjoy!
Matbucha
Ingredients:
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1⁄4 cup olive oil (additional oil needed for garnishing)
5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters
1-2 jalapeño, deseeded and sliced into strips (optional-depending on how spicy you like it.)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (warning, this product contains fish so keep that in mind while serving; can optionally substitute with equal amount soy sauce.)
1 tbsp. paprika
1⁄2 tbsp. cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika
1 tbsp. sugar
Kosher Sea Salt
Instructions:
Turn gas burner on medium. Place the green bell pepper quarters and jalapeno slices skin-side directly over the open fire until completely charred on skin. Immediately place charred peppers on aluminum foil and completely cover for 3-4 minutes. (If you do not have a gas burner, a grill or broiler would work as well.)
Take the now softened peppers and scrape off the black charred skin (doesn’t have to be perfect). Dice up the peppers and set aside.
Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat and pour in the 1⁄4 cup of olive oil. Add in the garlic, saute for a minute, then add in all the spices.
Before the garlic or spices burn, add in the can of diced tomatoes. Season with the worcestershire and sugar, deposit the diced peppers into pot, and mix.
Turn heat down to medium and let simmer violently for 11⁄2 -2 hours, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the sauce has significantly thickened and reduced by at least 1⁄3. (If you want to avoid stirring so often, turn heat even lower and let simmer for longer, just make sure there is no stickage on bottom of pan.)
Taste for seasoning and adjust with more Kosher salt or sugar.
Finish with a glug of olive oil before serving. Serve cool or room-temp with some challah (pretzel challah preferred) and enjoy!
