I don’t care for the name of this dish, but it’s a Jewish faux classic. It might look a bit like the dish it’s intending to imitate, but it tastes nothing like it — thank goodness! Another version is made with green beans (see Green Bean and Cashew Pâté — though Ashkenazik Jews don’t use green beans during the Passover week). The essential difference between this and the other recipe on this site is the use of mushrooms; both are simple and tasty. Serve with matzo or matzo crackers or raw veggies. This makes about 2 cups.
Passover Mock Chopped Liver (Mushroom, Cashew, and Onion)
it's a Jewish faux classic. It might look a bit like the dish it's intending to imitate, but it tastes nothing like it — thank goodness!
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Servings: 10 to 12
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms use white, baby bella, or cremini
- 3/4 cup roasted cashews see note
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Sauté the onions slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until nicely browned. Add the mushrooms and cook until they've wilted down.
- Combine the onions and mushrooms with the remaining ingredients in the container of a food processor. Process until smoothly pureed, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Serve at once with matzo, matzo crackers, or raw veggies. Or store in a tightly lidded container in the fridge until needed, and bring to room temperature before serving.
Note: I like the added flavor given by the roasted cashews, but if you’re into raw cashews, by all means, use them.
- Find more at VegKitchen’s Vegan Passover Seder Recipes and Menus.
- Find more ways to make Special Occasions and Entertaining easier and healthier.
33 Comments
Fran Wolok
March 31, 2012 at 11:28 pmHi Nava!
Have a great holiday! Thanks for keeping up your newsletter!
Nava
April 2, 2012 at 1:35 pmYou, too, Fran! Thanks so much for continuing to be a reader …
Iris
April 4, 2012 at 10:27 amWhat is the ‘note’ regarding the cashews?
OK, I see, it is on the green bean version.
Nava
April 4, 2012 at 10:43 amIris, I added the note on this, too. It really should have been there in the first place otherwise it is confusing. Thanks for the catch and happy holiday!
Arlene
March 15, 2013 at 5:36 pmHi. Just finished preparing this. Delicious. I want to serve it the first night of Seder but feel like I should refrigerate it — will it go bad if I do, do you think? And I want to freeze some for someone to taste a month or two from now. What do you think? Thank you so much.
Nava
March 15, 2013 at 5:41 pmArlene, you should definitely at least refrigerate it —very tightly lidded. I think it should freeze fine, too. Maybe once it thaws you can give it a whirl in the food processor once again to improve the texture. Happy holiday!
Robyn
March 17, 2013 at 11:26 amHello. On chopped liver is there any replacements for nuts.? Have someone allergic to nuts and seeds. G
Happy Passover to you and family
18
Nava
March 17, 2013 at 1:18 pmHi Robyn — it’s hard to replace nuts and seeds for their rich flavor, and beans aren’t allowed in the Ashkenazik tradition, of course, so the only thing that comes to mind would be avocado. It’s also rich and flavorful. Maybe step up the lemon just a bit so that it doesn’t brown. The texture won’t be as firm without the nuts, but hopefully it will do the trick.
Arlene
March 20, 2013 at 12:58 pmThanks, Nava. Enjoy your Seder.
Sandi Goldman
March 25, 2015 at 6:54 pmHow far ahead can this be made?
Nava
March 25, 2015 at 6:56 pmSandi, I’d say 3 days in the fridge, or make it sooner and freeze it. When it thaws out, whip it up again in the food processor, with a tiny bit of water if need be.
Chaya
March 26, 2015 at 9:42 amCan this recipe be substituted with any other nuts?
Nava
March 26, 2015 at 10:18 amChaya, cashews lend kind of a creamy texture to this, and are very tasty, but you could use blanched almonds as well. Make sure to grind them to a fine powder. If it’s an allergy to tree nuts in general, though, it’s a trickier question!
Nick
April 1, 2015 at 11:19 pmwhat’s the red garnish in the picture. Is Paprika kosher for Passover?
Chana Allison Solway
April 2, 2015 at 8:29 amHi Nick,
Yes, you can buy kosher for Passover paprika. Look in your local kosher market.
Chag sameach!
Nava
April 2, 2015 at 8:31 amThanks for answering Nick’s question, Chana! I wasn’t sure about it. Happy holidays to you as well.
Caryn
April 2, 2015 at 10:49 pmThank you for such a great site!How many does this recipe serve?
Max Exter
April 3, 2015 at 1:13 pmI don’t understand how to toast the cashews in this context. Do you toast them in the oven, then soak them, and then add them to the food processor?
Nava
April 3, 2015 at 2:01 pmMax, this recipe assumes you’re starting with cashews that you bought already pre-toasted (or roasted). Which they likely are, unless you only have raw cashews on hand. If that’s the case you can toast them in a toaster oven at 300 degrees F., or even on a dry skillet, stirring occasionally, until nice and golden brown.
Nava
April 3, 2015 at 2:02 pmI changed “toasted” in the recipe to “roasted,” as the latter is what they’re usually called when you buy them. Sorry for the confusion.
Max Exter
April 3, 2015 at 3:49 pmOk, so if you use roasted do you need to soak them, or do you just add them into the food processor directly? Thanks!
Nava
April 3, 2015 at 3:51 pmNo need to soak, Max. Just add to the processor and let it run for a while until the mixture is creamy. Enjoy!
Bracha
March 4, 2016 at 12:25 amive seen a variation of this recipe using walnuts.
ydelle
April 13, 2016 at 1:16 pmI make it with walnuts and have been doing this for years. Always have to make a big batch to last from Seder though out the rest of the week for Matzah sandwiches.
Nava
April 15, 2016 at 8:48 amYes, it’s good stuff no matter what kind of nuts are used. Have a good holiday!
Kim
April 24, 2016 at 12:48 pmJust made this recipe for a friend’s Seder (she requested some vegan dishes) and they loved it. The texture was perfect and it had a nice bit of sweetness from the carmelized onion and cashew.
Nava
April 24, 2016 at 1:20 pmYay! So glad you and your friends enjoyed this; thanks for your comment!
Dennis
April 14, 2017 at 8:37 amHi,
I am a bit surprised this does not call for a hard boiled egg or two. I am going to increase the mushroom and onion content and add 2 hard boiled eggs. You cannot make chopped liver (faux or otherwise) without the eggs. Give it a try.
Nava
April 14, 2017 at 3:32 pmHi Dennis — this is a vegan site, so we don’t use eggs at all. This mock chopped liver is delicious without eggs!
Ms.Louise Kavadlo
February 4, 2018 at 1:02 amI make lentil version of vegetarian chopped liver. I can make it using 4 hard-boiled eggs, 1/2 cup raw kasha cooked in 1 cup water. It can be eggs, kasha, or eggs and kasha.
Brad Levy
March 31, 2019 at 5:18 pmWow, just wow!
I’m a bit of a home cook and was testing out a couple new kosher for Passover recipes when we came upon this. The easy to tasty ratio is outstanding! Vegans, vegetarians and omnivores will all like this. It will definitely have a place at our sedar. Thanks.
michelle
September 25, 2019 at 5:05 pmCan I use roasted pumpkin seeds instead of the cashews– nut allergy
Nava
September 25, 2019 at 6:44 pmMichelle, I can’t see why that wouldn’t work, and it will probably be quite tasty!