Chopped Liver

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1. 1Step 1: Prepare schmaltz and gribenes ahead of time, or purchase schmaltz from your local kosher market. Goose fat or duck fat can be used in place of schmaltz if desired.
2. 2Step 2: Prepare the livers by cutting off any tough pieces or stringy tendons. Also cut away any pieces of liver that look discolored, yellow or strange.
3. 3Step 3: Add 2 tbsp schmaltz or oil into a large cast iron or nonstick skillet and melt over medium heat. Put half of the chicken livers into the skillet and fry them for 3 minutes on each side (about 6 minutes total). Season the livers generously with salt and pepper as they are cooking.
4. 4Step 4: After cooking, livers should be firm and browned on the outside while slightly pink on the inside. They will continue to cook internally after you remove them from the skillet; don't overcook them, or they will turn dry. When the livers are brown and firm, pour them into a medium-size mixing bowl along with the leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan.
5. 5Step 5: Add another 2 tbsp of schmaltz/oil to the skillet, melt it, and fry the remaining livers repeating the same process as above. Add the livers and leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan to the mixing bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you cook the onions in the next step.
6. 6Step 6: The skillet should now be seasoned with schmaltz or oil, so you don't need to grease the pan again. Add the onion slices to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low. Cover the skillet and let the onion cook undisturbed over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Check once or twice during cooking just to make sure they are not over-browning or starting to burn. The onions should be softening, but not darkening at this point.
7. 7Step 7: Uncover the skillet, stir the onions, and continue to sauté them for another 30-40 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to keep the onions from burning. Ideally the onions should be deeply caramelized, tender and sweet. When the onions have reduced to about 1/3 of their original size and are soft, sweet, and golden, they're ready.
8. 8Step 8: Add the cooked onions to the mixing bowl of livers along with 4 of the diced hard boiled eggs and the 1/2 cup of gribenes (optional). Season all ingredients generously with salt and pepper.
9. 9Step 9: Now it's time to chop all of the ingredients together into a blended mix. The old fashioned way is to chop it by hand with a knife, mincing and mincing until it resembles a rough pâté.
10. 10Step 10: Another popular method is using a meat grinder. Use a meat grinding attachment on a mixer on the fine hole setting. If you want to take a more modern approach, fit your food processor with a metal blade. Place all ingredients into the processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, stirring once halfway through processing, until a roughly textured paste forms.
11. 11Step 11: Whatever method you choose, it's important to taste the chopped liver once it is ground. Add salt or pepper to taste, if desired. Be a bit generous with the seasoning, as the liver is best served chilled and the seasoning won't taste as strong after chilling.
12. 12Step 12: Chill the chopped liver in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with remaining diced hardboiled egg and minced parsley.