Cran-Citrus Chutney

I used to hate the thought of Cranberry Sauce. The texture, the congealed blob. Ugh. Don't get me started. I never could understand why my Mama enjoyed this particular Thanksgiving side dish. Until I ran across this gem of a recipe, and decided I would hold my breath and give it a try.

This recipe made me a Cranberry Sauce believer - if done right, that is.
This is a beautiful side dish to any Thanksgiving spread.  Not only is the presentation lovely, but it is absolutely delicious.

The orange is prominent and plays very well against the cranberry.  The ginger shines through as well and I loved it with the cinnamon - so very holiday-ish.  This relish has a great variety of textures from the plump raisins, citrus with the peel still on that becomes slightly chewy and sugary and the few cranberries that didn't quite burst.

This relish is great paired with all the savory dishes like turkey, stuffing/dressing, potatoes and green beans that you find on the typical Thanksgiving table.  But don't get me wrong, this chutney is anything but typical and sure to please everyone at your table.

Also a huge plus, this is very simple and quick to put together, making it a true winner in my book.

A few notes:
- Be sure to choose a red wine that you like! I used a full bodied Cabernet/Petite Syrah blend which provided a background profile that I definitely could taste.
- I chose fresh cranberries, since they are easy to find during this time of year.
- Don't skimp on the salt and pepper.  Salt is a great way to bring out the natural sweetness in just about anything and the pepper adds that perfect bite against the sugar and ginger.
- I didn't have any golden raisins on hand, so I just used regular raisins and these worked just fine.

Cran-Citrus Chutney

12 oz bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 strip orange zest
1/2 cup red wine
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup crystallized ginger pieces
1 sliced unpeeled orange, seeds removed
1 sliced unpeeled lemon, seeds removed
1/4 cup golden raisins

Empty the bag of cranberries into a saucepan and transfer 1/2 cup to a small bowl.

Add sugar, strip orange or lemon zest, red wine, a cinnamon stick, crystallized ginger, sliced unpeeled orange and lemon (seeds removed), golden raisins and 2 tablespoons water to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the reserved cranberries. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste and cool to room temperature before serving.