Cranberry Relish

I was introduced to this delicious recipe at a recent book club meeting from my fellow Slow Food Utah book club buddy Kate Holbrook. I asked her permission to share the recipe with all of you and she told me she got the recipe from a friend- who got it from a friend. Isn't that the way it always go?! Let me tell you that this dish was a big hit, and the fact that it is easy makes it even better.

It is very hard to find fresh cranberries at the market this time of the year, probably because they are in season during the holidays. Normally I would not do a recipe like this with produce that is out of season but I was able to find frozen cranberries at the market. I feel good about buying these because they come from a Sustainable Farm in Oregon called Stahlbush Island Farms. These cranberries are flash frozen, so they are super fresh and there is nothing added to them- just cranberries! This company also uses their remaining fruit and vegetables material to produce green energy, naturally chic. Enjoy!

-Cranberry Relish-

10-12oz fresh cranberries

1 green onion, chopped (I forgot this time to get green onions, so I used 1/4 chopped purple onion)

1 medium jalapeno, chopped (seeded for those who can't handle the heat)

3/4 c. sugar (I use sucant*)

1-2 T. cilantro leaves (I actually used more)

1/4 tsp. cumin (I used 1/2 tsp)

pinch of salt

block of cream cheese, or log of goat cheese

1. Blend all the ingredients (except the cheese) in a food processor until blended, but still chunky. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

2. Serve over cheese of your choice with a fresh sliced baguette or crackers.

*Sucant- Minimally processed sugar made by pressing the juice from the cane, clarifying, filtering and evaporating it, then crystallizing the resulting sugar. Sucant retains many of the minerals, vitamins and trace elements found in sugar cane.