Fresh Cranberry Salsa
I posted this recipe a few weeks ago at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine. I thought it was worth another look in this week before Christmas. As delicious as cranberries are for Thanksgiving, I think they’re even more perfect – red! – on the Christmas table. Delicious with turkey, of course, but also pork or chicken. Or with tortilla chips as a festive appetizer. Or spooned over cream cheese as a pretty spread for crackers. You get the tasty idea…
Cranberry sauce often gets short shrift during Thanksgiving meal-planning, but it shouldn’t. Relish serves an important purpose, namely giving your palate a break during a rich and multi-dish meal, elevating your appreciation of the whole.
A bit of heat is a welcome surprise on the holiday table, at least in Minnesota. My mom has been surprising guests for years with the bite of horseradish in her well-loved cranberry mold. I riffed on that idea by poking around for a fresh cranberry salsa recipe and found a beauty. Jalapeños? Yes. Raw cranberries? Yes, yes. With cilantro and a hint of sweet, the salsa is at once utterly familiar and completely new and refreshing.
It’s also a snap to put together, better if made ahead, beautiful on the plate, and after serving with Herb-Roasted Turkey and Warm Brussels Salad…the leftovers are delicious with tortilla chips. Pretty perfect in my book.
Fresh Cranberry Salsa
Adapted from All Recipes
1 (12 ounce) bag cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, cut into 3-inch lengths
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 limes, juiced
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
Combine cranberries, cilantro, green onions, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a medium blade. Chop to medium consistency. Refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature.