Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Every year do a little something different with the cranberry sauce, adding fruit, nuts, spices and libations. With a big bag of jeweled Wisconsin cranberries in the fridge, I need to get moving. While I love cranberries, I want them to be more purposeful than just sauce. I want a little spice or zing or some flavor to put it beyond jam, so I can enjoy it beyond the holidays.
I made a rustic cranberry sauce with only half the sugar, wine, and mustard seeds soaked in wine vinegar. Instead of blending the mustard seeds I left them whole, which adds great texture and flavor, somewhere between a chutney and a mustard. This sauce pairs perfectly with tangy goat cheese on crackers, and makes an excellent turkey sandwich. Who wants leftovers?
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds (or combination of brown, black and yellow for extra zing)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 c whole cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
1. In a glass jar, soak mustard seeds in vinegar overnight. They should swell to almost a full cup. Add more vinegar if they seem dry.
2. The next day bring the cranberries, sugar and wine to a simmer on the stove. When cranberries begin to pop, cook for another 5 minutes. Add the mustard seed mixture and a pinch of salt. Taste the mixture.
3. If it seems to sour or bitter, add a couple tablespoons of sugar. When the balance suites your taste, remove from heat and return the mixture to a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator, where the flavors will meld. And try not to spread it on everything in site.
Tammy Kimbler grows, forages, cans, dries, pickles, ferments, brews, ages, cooks and eats from her Minneapolis, Minn., backyard. At One Tomato, Two Tomato, she aims to show how easy, accessible, healthful and delicious gaining control of your personal food system can be. Connect with Tammy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, and read all of her MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
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