Cranberry Orange Relish

I have never tried to make anything from fresh cranberries.  I love cranberry sauce and dried cranberries.  While shopping last week I found myself reaching for a small container of them in the produce department.  I was not sure what they even tasted like fresh.  I imagined something sweet and crisp.  Well, the crisp part was right but the sweet…UM…NO.  It was a tart little thing!

This set me back a few days.  I had to ponder and really think whether I was going to take time out of my busy week to devote to something I wasn't even sure my family or I would like.  So they watched me from the counter for a few days.

On Tuesday I was cleaning the kitchen and accidentally knocked the container on the floor.  Not only did I knock them on the floor, but they hit the dogs water bowl on the way down.  I thought about crying but then I laughed.  I don't think I could have done that again if I tried.   I had cranberries and water all over my kitchen floor.  Do you know how hard it is to walk with cranberries all over the place…LOL

I gathered them up and washed them and decided that our day had come and they needed to be used. I saw my oranges on the counter and I vaguely  remember chatter from family and friends about a relish that used these two ingredients.  I went in search and found that out of the gazillion recipes I found, they were all the same with a few additions here and there.  Some added apples or cinnamon.

It took me no time at all to whip this up and I am SOOOOO glad that I did.  I let it sit in my fridge for two days and decided to give it a try.  Well, lets be honest, I encouraged my hubby to try it first.  I already had the first taste of a fresh cranberry and was not looking forward to another pucker moment.

He loved it!  This encouraged me to try it myself.  Yes, it's true…two English Muffins later I can promise you that this is something I will forever be making for the Turkey Holiday season.  My mouth was loving the flavors and the texture.

In fact I will be going to the store today to buy more ingredients so that we have enough for next week.

Recipe:  Cranberry Orange Relish

1.5-2 cups of fresh cranberries, not frozen
1 orange
1/2 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of blanched almonds

I used a mini chopper and blended my cranberries until they were finely chopped.  You want small pieces.

I zested my whole orange with a fine grater.  This yielded me about 2 T. spoons.  I then cut the orange in half and , over my bowl, took the meat of the orange out with my fingers and let the juice run into the bowl.  I did not use any rind, pulp or seeds.

Add the sugar and almonds.  Stir to blend well.  I chose to refrigerate mine for two days so that the flavors could blend, sweeten up and the almonds had a chance to absorb some of the juice.

You can warm this up before serving or serve chilled.