Cooking Lesson #375: Zingy Cranberries

The Thanksgiving Collection

​How you doin’? No matter where your family is from everyone living in the United States has a reason to celebrate Thanksgiving in their own way with their own family legacy recipes. That’s what makes this holiday so special.
 
Perspectives published a holiday cookbook several years ago and asked all of our coworkers to contribute some of their family favorites to the recipe collection. Kim was our first Los Angeles employee and was/is quite a good cook. This was her family recipe for one of the iconic dishes of Thanksgiving. Beats the canned stuff any day! This cranberry dish will definitely add a different zing to your holiday table.
 
Cranberries are native to the swamps and bogs of northeastern North America.  There are about 125 genera and about 3500 species of the plant. The cranberry is a Native American wetland fruit which grows on trailing vines like a strawberry. The vines thrive on the special combination of soils and water properties found in wetlands. Cranberries were a staple for Native Americans, who harvested wild cranberries and used them in a variety of remedies, foods and drinks.
 
In the Engoron household, canned cranberry sauce was always the dish that was left forgotten in the back of the refrigerator. Put a note on your fridge reminding you to serve it up.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  5 to 9 minutes
Yield:  1-1/2 cups
 
Ingredients
1 tablespoon crushed garlic clove
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 ounces whole berry cranberries (I prefer Oceanspray)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
 
Directions

1. In a medium skillet, sauté the garlic and onion in the butter until tender.
2. Add thyme, basil, salt, pepper and whole berry cranberries; mix well.
3. Stir in red wine.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 to 9 minutes until the berries start to burst.
5. Stir in parsley.
6. Serve warm or chilled.

ChefSecret:  Spice it up a notch by substituting the 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. This recipe can be made up to two days' ahead of time if covered and refrigerated.

Quip of the Day: “What happened to the turkey that got in a fight?" "He got the stuffing knocked out of him!”
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

​#ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #SideDishes #Cranberries #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2021 #Thankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

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