Our judges’ top pick was proof that ye naught need thy bird, nor thy carbs, nor thy hot dishes to find thy victory at ye olde Food Wars! Team Ready, Willing, and Mable scored 1st Place with “Tangy Love – A Fresh, Raw Cranberry Relish,” the perfect accoutrement to your upcoming holiday meal. Give it a try!
Tangy Love – A Fresh, Raw Cranberry Relish
by team Ready, Willing & Mable
Ingredients:
3 lbs of fresh cranberries (can be frozen, but fresh preferred)
2-3 plump fresh oranges (2 big or 3 small)
2-3 crisp apples (I prefer pink lady or fuji) (2 big or 3 small)
About 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 cups agave syrup to taste (cane sugar can be substituted)
Directions:
- Rinse the cranberries and drain in a colander. Pick over berries very carefully. Discard any that are soft, translucent, or covered with mushy spots. You should end up with about 2.5 lbs of good berries. Set aside.
- Wash oranges. Zest or grate orange peel. Do not include the white pith part – just the orange zest. Set zest aside.
- Peel pith from oranges, separate into quarters, cut quarters into smaller chunks (about 1″).
- Wash apples. Quarter, core, cut quarters into smaller chunks (about 1″).
- Peel ginger with a spoon (it’s amazingly easy). Grate ginger or cut into thin matchsticks. Set aside.
- Using a food processor or food grinder, combine a couple cups of cranberries, handful of orange chunks and handful of apple chunks into food processor bowl. Add ¼ cup agave syrup and pulse until pieces are finely chopped without making a mash. Dump into bowl. (It’s okay if largeish pieces of apple/orange remain, simply fish them out and regrind/chop with the next batch.)
- Continue chopping until you’ve used up all the cranberries, oranges, and apples.
- Stir reserved orange zest, ginger, and remaining agave syrup into chopped fruits, combining thoroughly.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for two days, letting flavors marry. Taste and add more agave syrup if needed (though this dish should be tangy and refreshing, not overly sweet).
- Serve chilled straight from the fridge or let the bowl come to room temperature.
Millions of thanks go to my beautiful Nana Mable, who made this for every family get together I can remember when I was growing up.