This is a popular item throughout Eastern Europe and is often formed into fanciful shapes (as is its close cousin, chopped chicken liver, at many American bar and bat mitzvahs). It tastes just as good served from a bowl and spread on crackers or toast.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　3 tablespoons butter, softened

　　2 ounces slab bacon, chopped

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　1 pound calf liver or chicken livers, picked over for veins and chopped

　　1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

　　1 tablespoon brandy or dry vermouth, plus more to taste

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　

Step 1

Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat melts, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the liver and cook just until it loses its pinkness.

　　

Step 2

Transfer the liver mixture with all the pan drippings to a food processor and add the nutmeg, brandy, and remaining butter; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and more brandy if desired.

　　

Step 3

Press the processed liver mixture into a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours. Serve within a day, cold or at room temperature.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.