Fall favorites; pumpkins, sweet potatoes and cranberries, have recently taken center stage at the produce department. Not wanting to rush the year away, I’ve held off writing about cranberries.
With the calendar turned to November, and Thanksgiving around the corner, I figured now is the time to talk” about the tangy, juicy, sour, beloved and adaptable ruby beauties.
No matter how many Thanksgiving dinners we’ve prepared, for most of us, it always seems to be stressful to deliver that perfect holiday meal. From its planning to the washing of the last plate, Thanksgiving creates more anxiety for home cooks than any other holiday.
Why get nervous and fuss, since most tend to stick to their tried-and-true dishes: turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and for dessert, fall pies like pumpkin, apple and mincemeat. These seem to be the Thanksgiving dinner must-haves.
When cranberries come to mind, most think of the can, and the challenge of removing that jellied cranberry sauce. Many years ago, I used the canned variety, too, until I realized how easy it is to make cranberry sauce, and other dishes, using fresh ones.
The fruit is versatile. And there’s nothing like a cranberry to give a burst of flavor to dishes both sweet and savory. Full of antioxidants and vitamin C, cranberries are good for us, as well. While most think of cranberries during fall, they’re readily available year-round, fresh, dried and frozen. No need to wait for Thanksgiving!
According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, 20% of the 400 million pounds of cranberries consumed in the U.S. each year is during Thanksgiving week. I was surprised to learn that it is Wisconsin, not Massachusetts, that is the leading producer of cranberries, with 60% of the crop grown in the state.
Did you know. . . it is one of the three fruits native to North America?
While a glistening and juicy turkey typically takes center stage on the Thanksgiving table, it is the side dishes, frequently incorporating sweet potatoes or cranberries, that many of us look forward to eating. If you are like me, you have your standards, but still enjoy adding one or two new dishes to the annual feast.
“The Cranberry Cookbook: Year-Round Dishes from Bog to Table” by Sally Pasley Vargas (2017, Globe Pequot, $18) was pulled from my single-subject cookbook collection for ideas for the bags of fresh cranberries that will soon be purchased. The book’s mouth-watering photos will entice you to run to the store and buy the ingredients to make some of these recipes.
I enjoyed the sidebars covering everything from cranberry folklore to modern cranberry farmers, plus the added nutritional information.
For example, “Did you know…Cranberries bounce. They float, too, because of a tiny pocket of air inside each berry. For that reason, bogs can be flooded during harvest and the floating berries are collected with the help of ‘eggbeaters,’ that churn the water and loosen the berries from the vine.”
Knowing fresh cranberries might not be available year round where you shop, the author tested each recipe using frozen cranberries, as well as fresh, so you can enjoy the recipes throughout the year.
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and planning the menu, perhaps these recipes will inspire you and become part of your repertoire.
“The Cranberry Cookbook” is a treat for anyone who appreciates classic flavors with a modern twist like cranberry-chocolate babka, Waldorf salad, upside-down gingerbread with apples and cranberries, or this recipe for roasted harvest vegetable soup with cranberry coulis.
For the recipe for Roasted Carrots and Cranberries, visit http://bit.ly/2h6hlKu.
Roasted Harvest Vegetable Soup With Cranberry Coulis
The headnote says: “At the end of summer before there is even a nip in the air, markets fill with mountains of squash and root vegetables that beg to go into soup. Think of this recipe as a guideline and pick and choose what is available to you. This large batch is suitable for serving a crowd, or for stashing some away in the freezer to pull out on a rainy night. Moroccan spices add a touch of warmth to the colorful little specks of vegetables. Roast the vegetables until tender but still a little firm. Before pureeing, baste them in the toasted spice and butter mixture, add water, and cook just long enough to bring the flavors together. The soup will be thick when pureed, so add enough water to bring it to a soupy consistency. A spoonful of yogurt adds a cooling element, while cranberries offer a tart and sweet accent.”
Serves 10
Ingredients:
For the Cranberry Coulis:
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3⁄4 cup white wine
1⁄3 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
2 (1⁄8-inch thick) slices fresh ginger
Pinch of salt
For the soup:
Vegetable oil (for the baking sheet)
1 large onion, cut into six wedges
1 pound unpeeled carrots (3–4 large), ends trimmed and cut into 1 ½ -inch lengths
2 stalks celery, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
6 small parsnips (12 ounces), ends trimmed and cut into 1 ½ -inch lengths
1 large white turnip (12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1 ½ -inch chunks
½ peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound), cut into 1 ½ -inch chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons ras el hanout*
6–8 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup plain yogurt (for garnish)
Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cranberries, wine, sugar, bay leaf, ginger, and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 7 minutes, or until the cranberries are soft. Cool to room temperature. Remove the bay leaf and ginger. In a blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil 2 rimmed baking sheets. On the baking sheets, spread the onion, carrots, celery, parsnips, turnip, and squash. Drizzle with the oil. With your hands, toss together, massaging the oil into the vegetables. Spread in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender but still slightly firm when pierced with the tip of a paring knife.
In a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the ras el hanout, and cook, stirring for 30 seconds to toast the spices. Add the vegetables to the pot and stir to coat them with the spice. Add enough water to cover the vegetables. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Cool briefly. In a food processor, working in batches, puree the vegetables and broth until coarse and a little chunky.
Transfer to a clean pot. Add the lemon juice and honey. Cook, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Thin with more water if the soup is thick. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Garnish with spoonfuls of yogurt and drizzle with cranberry coulis.
Recipe from “The Cranberry Cookbook”
*If you can’t find ras el hanout Moroccan spice blend, mix together 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, ground ginger, and salt, ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ground coriander seed, cayenne, ground allspice and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves.
Alongside the book were several older cranberry pamphlets and books. I retrieved a few: “Cape Cod’s Famous Cranberry Recipes Made with Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce,” published in 1941 by Cranberry Canners Inc.; “Cranberries and How to Cook Them,” published in 1938 by American Cranberry Exchange; “Better Homes and Gardens Five Seasons Cranberry Book: Over 275 Tasty Cranberry Recipes…from Soup to Dessert…for Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Special Holidays,” published in 1971 by Meredith Publishing Services in conjunction with Ocean Spray Cranberries.
Enjoy these simple recipes published many years ago….
Cranberry Gingerbread
The headnote says: “Fold tiny cubes of jellied cranberry sauce into your gingerbread batter just as you would raisins.”
Serves 8-10
Ingredients::
½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg, well beaten
½ cup milk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
1 cup small cubes Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce
Directions:
Cream shortening, gradually adding the sugar until smooth. Then add molasses, egg, and milk. Mix and sift dry ingredients and add to the first mixture. Very carefully fold in cubes of jellied cranberry sauce. Pour into greased baking tin (6x10x2 inches). Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.
From “Cape Cod’s Famous Cranberry Recipes”
Cranberry Orange Relish
The headnote says: “The aristocrat of relishes. Particularly good with all meats, hot or cold.”
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
1 pound (4 cups Eatmor* Cranberries)
2 oranges
2 cups sugar
Directions:
Put cranberries through food chopper. Peel oranges, remove seeds and put rind and oranges through chopper. Mix with cranberries and sugar. Let stand for a few hours before serving.
From “Cranberries and How to Cook Them”
Ten-Minute Cranberry Sauce
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups water
1 pound (4 cups) Eatmor* cranberries
Directions:
Boil sugar and water together for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and boil without stirring until all the skins pop open. (5 minutes is usually sufficient.) Remove from fire and allow the sauce to remain in the vessel until cool. (1 pound of cranberries makes 2 ½ pounds of sauce.)
*The American Cranberry Exchange, which Eatmor brand was part of, is defunct. The organization dissolved in 1957 after 50 years. Use any brand of fresh cranberries
From “Cranberries and How to Cook Them”
Fruit Filled Squash
Serves 8
Ingredients:
4 small acorn squash
1 cup chopped unpared apple
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
1 small orange, peeled and diced
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine melted
Directions:
Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place cut side down in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Turn side up; sprinkle with salt. Combine remaining ingredients; fill squash with fruit mixture. Continue baking for 25 minutes or until squash is tender.
From “Five Seasons Cranberry Book”
The Cranberry Cookbook photos and recipes by Sally Pasley Vargas, courtesy of Globe Pequot Press.
Stephen Fries is professor emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 17 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, and three-day culinary adventures around the U.S. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at [email protected]. For more, go to stephenfries.com.
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