After years of hearing about it every Thanksgiving on NPR...

[TreasonousBastard]

I finally made Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish.

Cranberries, onion, sugar, horseradish and sour cream.

The trick is freezing it overnight. I suspect that breaks down the cell structure which adds to the creaminess when thawed. You usually don't want cell walls cracked, but here you do.

Anyway, most of it disappeared and two people asked for the recipe. Should have made it last year.

[KC]

1. That sounds

interesting . Do you have the actual recipe with measurements and directions? I might try it at Christmas.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Sure...

Bozita posted it in GD, with the link to the full NPR story:

FWIW, I mashed the onion and berries by pulsing in a food processor, and I doubled the recipe with no problems.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1860407

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed

1 small onion

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar ("red is a bit milder than white&quot

Grind the raw berries and onion together. ("I use an old-fashioned meat grinder," says Stamberg. "I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.&quot

Add everything else and mix.

Put in a plastic container and freeze.

Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. ("It should still have some little icy slivers left.&quot

The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. ("OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It's also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.&quot

Makes 1 1/2 pints.

[Lucinda]

12. Thanks for the recipe!

I like all the ingredients...should be interesting to try!

[Warpy]

2. You have to brutalize cranberries to make them edible

The best use of the ones I gleaned every year was bouncing them down the street for the cats to chase. They bounce like superballs and the cats loved to chase them. Catch them? Not so much.

However, you need to break them down by freezing or cooking if you want something besides a marble sized superball. You also need a lot of sugar to tame the incredible pucker of the plain berry.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Yes. I added cranberries to the pumpkin soup this year...

for no good reason other than I had another bag of them lying around.

Cooking made them edible, but I had to add some sugar to cut the sourness. It was a success, though, and I got comments about how the berries were a worthy addition.

[CottonBear]

5. I don't have a food processor. Could I dice up the cranberries with a knife?

Or, possibly, mash them up with some other kitchen implement?

I want to try this recipe because I've also heard about it on NPR for years now.

I made my usual cranberry dish for my family T-Day: simmer raw cranberries in orange juice until they burst and then simmer more until cooked down. No need to add sugar. Tart but not too much so.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Maybe, but they'd bounce around a lot and half will be on the floor...

I might try covering them with plastic and mashing them with a rolling pin or hammer first. The onion would be no problem with a knife. Gotta get them really finely chopped, though.

If you have a blender, it might work with small amounts at a time.

(I've had the cranberries in OJ-- really good stuff.)

[CottonBear]

7. The rolling pin is a great idea!

And, I'd totally forgotten about my hand held immersion blender. Rolling pin first and then the blender. Thanks!

[pinto]

8. (aside) Hand held immersion blender idea -

I set this up for messy jobs, works well. Large left over plastic coffee canister. Cut a slice in the lid to mid point. Made a circular cut at mid point to just fit snug around the blender handle. Pour whatever you're working with in the coffee container. Set up the blender with the lid "collar". Snap the lid / blender on the coffee container and blend at will...

[CottonBear]

10. Great tip!

Thanks!

[TreasonousBastard]

9. Be very careful with the immersion blender...

it could blend them too much and make a puree. You want them finely chopped, not pureed.

I'm thinking the way most immersion blenders are shaped, and with their high speed, it would be tough to avoid pureeing.

Maybe, just maybe, an old fashioned electric hand mixer could do the trick if you have one lying around.

[CottonBear]

11. I do have a hand mixer. I'll give it a try.

[Mojorabbit]

13. I did a bag in no time with my mortar and pestle. nt

[CottonBear]

15. Excellent idea! Thanks! n/t

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

14. I made it some years ago

The only thing anyone could taste was the horseradish. My youngest son called it "cranberry relish for people who hate cranberries".

[TreasonousBastard]

16. Ha! I suppose after that there was no reason to make it again and...

adjust the amounts?

Considering quite few liked my experiment, I'm going to do it again with some adjustments and see what happens.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

17. Since it turned out so badly the first time, I have not repeated it

After all, one definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result.

I must say we all liked the pretty pink color.