Mock Chopped Liver

Mushrooms and walnuts stand in for chicken livers in this vegetarian-friendly variation on a seder staple. Black garlic — widely available at specialty grocery stores —  and dijon mustard give the pate an umami wallop. To make this recipe vegan, simply omit the hard-boiled eggs.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

12 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove black garlic, broken into several pieces (You can use regular garlic here, but it will result in a more pronounced garlic flavor. The black garlic gives this a subtle garlicky sweetness, so choose whichever you prefer or have on hand.)

2 teaspoons tamari*

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

½ cup walnuts, shelled and toasted

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

Matzah and horseradish, to serve

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine mushrooms, shallot, and black garlic, and toss with oil and a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Spread mushroom mixture on a silpat-lined baking sheet, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the onions are fragrant and slightly shriveled. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Combine mushrooms, tamari, dijon mustard, walnuts, and one hard boiled egg in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until a chunky paste forms. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. If the mixture looks a bit dry, add a splash of oil. Garnish with the remaining chopped egg and parsley, and serve with matzoh and horseradish.

*Unlike soy sauce, tamari does not contain wheat, so many Jews, including those who follow the Sephardic tradition of eating kitniyot, consider it OK to eat during Passover. If you are more traditional in your observance, there are certified kosher for Passover soy sauce substitutes, or you can make your own.

Header image photos by Stephanie Ganz