Pork, Puff Pastry, and Pumpkin Polenta
It seems that the custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress. The animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving. The Pennsylvania Dutch add sauerkraut and mashed potatoes to the pork for luck - but - according to tradition - it's supposed to be the first meal eaten in the new year for it to be lucky.
I'm not superstitious, nor am I Pennsylvania Dutch (although my father's mother's Irish grandfather was born somewhere in Pennsylvania in the 1830's... But I digress...)
I wasn't raised with the idea of eating certain foods at New Year's and really didn't even hear of the tradition until I was in the Navy living with all those Southerners... Black-eyed peas were de rigueur whilst I was in Uncle Sam's Yacht Club, along with greens. I don't recall the first time I had Hoppin' John - black-eyed peas and rice with ham hocks. Probably in Boston in the early 1980's with our landlady who had roots in the South and the Caribbean. Maureen and her sister Evelyn were great cooks.
But that has nothing to do with tonight's dinner... I decided on pork because it was already in the house. Actually, the whole menu was already in the house. It's cold outside and I wasn't leaving for nothin'!
Last week when we met David, Martha, and Harriette for dinner, Martha gave us jars of cranberry chutney and a pear conserve that she had made and canned. Outrageously good. I thought the pear would go really well with the pork.
I chopped it up a bit finer and added a bit of chipotle sauce to cut the sweetness and add a bit of heat. I did a quick sear on the pork chops and chilled them. When they were cold, I covered them with the sauce, wrapped them in puff pastry and placed into a 425° oven for about 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, I made Pumpkin Polenta - one of my more favorite dishes. I got the original concept out of Today's Diet and Nutrition magazine. (I was very bad - we were at Victor's foot doctor's office and while I was waiting, I was thumbing through the magazine. I saw the recipe and cut it out. I then went home and subscribed...) I digress, again...
Pumpkin Polenta
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup polenta
- salt and pepper to taste
Bring milk, cream, butter, salt, pepper, and pumpkin to a boil. Slowly stir in polenta. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked - about 30 minutes. (I used a really coarse polenta that takes up to 45 minutes. Finer-grained polenta will take less time.)
I had leftover chicken gravy from Tuesday night, so I took some of it and added a couple of tablespoons of Sofrito sauce to tweak it towards a more latin sauce. It worked really well!
And then spinach - greens for money, I think the saying goes.
In a couple of hours there are brownies for dessert.
Happy New Year, indeed!
Con-Fusion
"Fusion" - in culinary terms - is the blending or combining of different cultures and styles of food. Tonight, our dinner was definitely fusion. CONfusion...
I started off with Chimichurri Rice. Chimichurri is a sauce or marinade originally from Argentina, but popular in parts of South and Central America. On our last trip to San Francisco, we stopped off at Cost Plus and picked up some chimichurri spice mixture. The directions say to make it into a marinade. I thought rice was a better idea.
I first sauteed onions, bell pepper, the chimichurri spice in olive oil and then added canned diced tomatoes. One cup of rice went in next, along with beef broth. Cover, simmer 20 minutes.
I took boneless pork steaks and covered them liberally with ancho, pasillo, birdseye, and arbol chili powders, and a bit of salt. Onto the grill they went.
The confusion part comes with the serving - in pitas!
Lettuce and chopped heirloom tomatoes and a Greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, and lemon sauce. The yogurt abd cucumber sauce was really necessary - the pork was s-p-i-c-y! It was yumlicious.
Chicken Soup for the Soul
I was at the farmer's market Wednesday to order my 32+ pound Thanksgiving Turkey, and picked up a stewing hen while I was there. There is just nothing more flavorful than soup or stew made with a stewing hen.
Into the pot the bird went with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and about 3/4 bottle of white wine I've been using for cooking. I simmered it all day Wednesday and Wednesday evening, strained the broth and removed the chicken. After cooling, they both went into the 'fridge.
Yesterday afternoon, the fun began - clean out the 'fridge! The broth went into the pot along with celery, carrots, fresh peas, green beans, 2 different leftover cooked brown rices, chopped up mustard greens, and a bag of tortolini - and a goodly amount of chicken. (There's at least one - if not two - other meals from the chicken!)
It was sooooo good! Really rich, chicken flavor and lots of good vegetables. I almost licked the bowl. And the garlic bread was the perfect accompaniment.
Turkey Soup
It was cold today - at least this west coast blood thought it was cold today - and cold means soup at my house!
I had cooked a small turkey breast on Thursday, and with plenty of meat and a carcass, I set to work.
Soups are generally 'clean out the refrigerator' meals, and today's soup was no exception. Into the pot went the stripped carcass, broth, an onion, some questionable celery, a slightly dried half-head of garlic and a bit of S&P. I boiled and then simmered the stock for a couple of hours and then drained it all. I salvaged whatever turkey meat I could, and then the broth went back into the pot.
Into the pot went the leftover gravy from Thursday night, along with the elbow macaroni and gravy Victor concocted Friday when I was at work. I chopped up the rest of the celery, carrots, and then added a melange of partial bags of frozen vegetables that were just taking up space in the freezer - and not enough of any one of them for a meal.
A half a loaf of a crusty whole wheat batard finished off the meal - and finished me off, as well!
Start-to-finish a couple of hours. Actual work time was less than 15 minutes. AND we not only had a great dinner, we now have a clean 'fridge, to boot!
Pumpkin Polenta and Perfect Pork
We were at the Dr's office last week for a check-up on Victor's foot surgery and I came upon a magazine entitled Today's Diet and Nutrition. I'm usually game for a food-type magazine and hadn't seen this particular mag before, so I started perusing...
Opening the magazine at random, I immediately found a recipe for Maple Pumpkin Polenta! OMG! Three of my most favorite flavors in one recipe! I decided I had to try it! And am I glad I did!
Maple Pumpkin Polenta
- 5 cups water
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup coarse ground cornmeal
- 1 cup pumpkin (canned, fresh-cooked, whatever)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parigiano-reggiano or grana padana
- 1 tbsp butter
Bring the water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the salt and olive oil, reduce heat to simmer, and gradually whisk in the cornmeal a small amount at a time to prevent clumping.
Cook the polenta, stirring often until it is tender and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 25 minutes.
Stir in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and cayenne. Cook another minute or two, remove from heat, and stir in the cheese and butter. Adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.
Serve warm.
It was so good!
Of course, I couldn't just serve polenta for dinner, so I stated thinking about what would go good with it - and decided a pork loin would fit the bill. I had already been shopping (What?!? Plan dinner BEFORE you go to the store?!?) and completely lucked out having ingredients to make a Pork with Leeks and Mushrooms from Bon Appetit.
Roast Pork Loin with Shiitake and Leek Compote
- 1 large leek (white and pale green parts only)
- a 1-pound center-cut boneless pork loin
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup beef broth
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs
Cut leek crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and in a bowl soak in water to cover, agitating occasionally to dislodge any sand, 5 minutes. Lift leek out of water and drain in a colander.
Trim any fat from pork. Season pork with salt and pepper and pat with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. In a 10-inch oven-proof non-stick or cast-iron skillet heat butter or oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown pork loin, turning it. Transfer pork to a plate.Preheat oven to 425°F.
In fat remaining in skillet cook mushrooms and leek with salt over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add wine and broth and bring to a boil. Put pork on vegetables in skillet and roast in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 160°F.
Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. If vegetable compote is too liquid, cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost all liquid is evaporated. Stir remaining teaspoon chopped parsley into compote.
I didn't have shitakes, but I had baby bella's and some mixed wild mushrooms that worked just great. I also added some asparagus to the roasting pot midway through the cooking process just for fun.
Definitely a keeper.
I usually make my polenta with non-fat milk - I just like it that way - and next time I make this, I probably will use it. I also think I might add juuuuust a tiny tad bit of chipotle powder instead of the cayenne. Who knows.
But I do know that I'll be making this again!
And I subscribed to the magazine!
Pumpkin and Bean Soup
It's 24 degrees outside. Time for soup. Now, soup is one of those things that I rarely even think about a recipe. I just make it with whatever happens to be in the house. Today, though, I was lacking inspiration, so I went over to Epicurious.
I typed in "Bean Soup" just for grins and giggles, and up came 267 recipes. After a few pages of browsing, my eyes hit upon Caribbean Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup. It sounded intriguing... But slightly boring...
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 14-ounce can light unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup canned vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 3/4 teaspoon grated lime peel
Stir cumin in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat 30 seconds. Add pumpkin, beans, coconut milk, broth and 3 tablespoons cilantro. Bring soup to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 minutes to blend flavors. Mix in lime juice and lime peel. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro. Makes 2 servings; can be doubled.
So... with that in mind, I made
Tim's Pumpkin and White Bean Soup
- 2 boneless pork chops, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper with seeds, minced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 2 leeks, cut into rings
- 2 cans pumpkin
- 1 qt chicken broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 cans white beans
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup barley
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp jerk paste
- a few splashes Tabasco
- Salt and pepper
Pre-cook the rice and barley. Brown the vegetables and pork in a bit of oil. Add broth, pumpkin, and coconut milk and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add beans, rice, barley and a few splashes of tabasco, salt and pepper.
Heat through. Enjoy.
It was really good - juuuuust spicy enough - and perfect for this freezing weather!
And there's Strawberry Bread Pudding for dessert!
Pumpkin Soup
Two weeks ago, when our friend Paige was visiting, I bought a sugar pumpkin. I thought I'd cook it up somehow. I didn't have anything particular in mind, but I thought a fresh pumpkin something would be nice...
We all ate nonstop for two days, and I never cooked the pumpkin. It's been sitting on the kitchen counter ever since. A nice fall decoration for sure, but this is an eating pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin or decoration.
Today, with our glorious 70 degree weather, I decided to make soup!
I sliced and seeded the pumpkin and set in in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, I cut up:
- 3 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 medium onion
- 1 sweet potato and
- 2 pears
and placed them all in a pot with a bit of olive oil. I cooked everything until it was all mushy and gooey and starting to stick to the bottom of the pan. I added some cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, a pinch of cardamom, and a pinch of sage, salt & pepper and then added 2 quarts of chicken stock. (I'm not a vegetarian. Substitute veg broth, if desired...)
I cooked the vegetables a bit more, and then added the pumpkin and let it all simmer about 30 minutes.
While the soup was simmering, I cooked a large handful of barley in another pot.
I used my immersion blender and pureed the whole pot of soup to a rich, creamy consistency. Then, I added about 2 cups of heavy cream and blended it some more. I did a taste-test and added a bit more of all the spices. I then stirred in the barley, and added a handful of dried cranberries!
It was really good!
A Clean Kitchen...
Some people see a clean kitchen as a thing that should not be touched. I see a clean kitchen as a blank slate for creating a mess.
Well... not really, but, I do seem to have a bit of an untidy streak when it comes to cooking! It's not that I go out of my way to make a mess, but, I also don't go out of my way to stop everything if some four goes flying or something drips where it shouldn't. I figure I'll just get to it later. Have to keep the creative juices flowing, and all that. Besides, the puppy needs her treats, too!
That being said, I cannot begin working in a dirty or messy kitchen. It needs to be clean and organized. The sink needs to be clean and empty. The dishwasher has to have room in it... Counters clean. All the normal stuff. Fortunately, I never have to worry about a dirty kitchen - Victor takes care of cleaning it! Oh, I almost-semi-kinda-clean up after myself, but Victor is the King of Clean! We have a relationship made in gastronomic heaven!
Tonight I started out with pork chops. Awhile back I had bought two pork loins and cut them into chops m'self. (I think it was something like 2 bucks a pound cheaper for the whole loin than the chops. I have a knife - I'll save the extra 20 dollars and cut them myself!)
I also had a hankerin' for scalloped potatoes. Cheesy scalloped potatoes. Au Gratin cheesey scalloped potatoes. Peeled 2 potatoes and sliced thin. Sauteed 1 smallish onion in butter with a handful of diced prosciutto that was in the freezer. added some flour, milk, garlic, and a bit of S&P, and into a buttered casserole dish. I topped them with buttered cracker crumbs that I mixed a bit of garlic powder, and S&P. 350 for an hour.
Meanwhile, I cleaned up a bunch of broccoli rabe. Rinsed well, and into a saute pan with butter and olive oil, fresh garlic, S&P. Cooked it all down.
Grilled the chops, plated the broccoli rabe, placed a chop on top, added the potatoes, and yum, yum! Dinner was good!
The casserole will need to soak for a week or so, but otherwise - only 1 pan dirtied!
And later on, there's homemade bread pudding! (Made with the last of the Portuguese Bread!)
Life is good - and the kitchen is all clean. Ready for my next adventure!
Pork Chops, Grits, and Brussel's Sprouts
Okay, a strange-sounding combination, I'll admit. But dang, it was a good dinner!
Last month sometime, I marinated 2 boneless pork chops in an Asian-inspired marinade. I ended up cooking something else for dinner that night, because we ran out of gas for the grill just as I was about to put them on. The chops went into the freezer, marinade and all. I pulled them out Tuesday PM to grill Wednesday, but they were still frozen (and I wasn't in the mood to fuss with them) so... they stayed in the 'fridge until today. (I actually don't remember where I got the idea, or what I actually marinated them in... Old age is setting in - rapidly...)
In the meantime, I had seen a recipe in Bon Appetit for "Fallen Grits Souffles with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese." It sounded intriguing, and about six weeks ago we bought new individual souffle cups at Crate and Barrel with a Christmas gift certificate. Time to experiment! The recipe calls for 8 souffles, and, while it seems that we can eat for eight at any given meal, I cut it down for two. I wish I had made more..... They came out light and luscious, and definitely didn't need any of the extras in the Bon Appetit recipe!
The Brussel's Sprouts are another story. They are - by far -my favorite vegetable! ! picked up two baskets of them on Wednesday, and cooked one for dinner Thursday. Well... in reality, I burnt one for dinner Thursday. I was not having a good day, was writing a couple of steaming emails, wasn't paying attention and... burnt to a crisp. Can we say "Karma" boys and girls?!? We ate frozen corn and soaked the pan over night.....
But I digress... I really wanted my Brussels's sprouts, and while they may not have been a perfect culinary match for an Asian-inspired pork chop - neither was a grits souffle. Sometimes ya just have to throw caution to the wind and eat what you feel like! Besides, I wasn't inviting Craig Claiborne to dinner.....
The Grits for 2 souffles:
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup instant grits
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large eggs, separated
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter 2 1-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Combine first 4 ingredients in large saucepan. Bring just to simmer; remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes. Strain; return milk to pan. Add salt; bring to boil. Gradually stir in grits and cook over medium heat until mixture is thick and grits are tender, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Mix in butter. Season with black pepper. Stir in egg yolks. Cool slightly.
Beat egg whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into grits in 2 additions. Divide mixture among prepared dishes. Place dishes in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of dishes.
Bake soufflés until tops are puffed and beginning to brown and center is set, about 30 minutes.
Here's a link to the Bon Appetit Recipe...
For the Brussel's sprouts, I just trimmed and cut in half, and then placed them in a pan with some butter, water, and S&P. They steamed until the water evaporated, and then browned nicely in the remaining butter. (The step where I burned them, Thursday!!)
It was a yummy dinner, fer sure!
New England Clam Chowder
Heavy fog, rain, ice, and blazing sun. I had originally planned to make a stuffed chicken breast tonight, but the weather screamed soup, so... time to break out the clam base! It's such a pleasure to have a well-stocked larder. I had all the ingredients I needed, so out came the pot and to work I went.
I lived and worked in Boston for about 5 years and have had many versions of "New England Clam Chowder" from the thin but creamy fish chowder at the No-Name Restaurant to the thick chowder served at Legal Seafoods. (Boy, I just checked out their website - they're getting fancy...) But I digress... We made it at The Hyatt, we made it at The Charles... You really can't go anywhere without seeing it on a menu. Some great, others merely okay.
Now, I know I should have boiled down my clam shells, and all, but I just bought my Clam Base and just had to use it. I sauteed 1/4 lb chopped bacon with a cup of diced onion and a cup of diced celery. When it was looking right I added about a half cup of flour and mixed it all in a bit. Next was 3 cups of water and 2tbsp of the aforementioned Clam Base, 2 cans of minced clams, and a couple of turns of pepper. I let it thicken up then added a quart of half and half, and 4 diced potatoes. Let it simmer until the potatoes were done, and voila! Rich, creamy, and full of clam flavor! That base is damn good!
Dessert is going to be a Chocolate Pudding Cake. But I have to wait for a while. I'm stuffed.....
Stuffed Flank Steak
I've said for years that some of the best cooking is just using the ingredients you have on hand. Unless you're really trying to replicate a specific dish or looking for an exact flavor, make do with what you have! Just put things together that you like. My Mom was queen of opening the cabinets and creating dinner - and trusting her instincts when it came to cooking. After all, the very worst thing that could happen would be that it's terrible and you throw it out and call for Pizza.
That being said, I had a flank steak that's been in the freezer for a while, and I wanted to use it up before it became a freezer burn-unit victim. I do try and clear out the freezer once in a while. I have a habit of buying what looks good at the time without a clear picture of what I want to do. It's great to have a stocked freezer (and pantry!) but ya have to use the stuff!
I have been negligent in getting gas for the grill, and I seem to be in a rut when it comes to flank steak. I almost always end up with a variation of my Oriental Flank Steak. I like it a lot, but, at some point, one has to move on... No gas for grilling. I needed an idea. Back to the fridge.
In the fridge was a pound of bacon, a head of escarole, lots of mushrooms. Stuffed Flank Steak, of course! My stuffing was right in front of me! I chopped 3 slices of the bacon and cooked about half way. Added about 8oz of sliced mushrooms and cooked about half way. Added the escarole, S&P and a shot of garlic powder and cooked until the escarole was really wilted.
While it was cooking away, I butterflied the flank steak. It was still partially frozen, which made for very easy cutting.
I then spread the filling on the steak, rolled up, and tied with kitchen twine. Browned it in the pan and into a 350 oven for about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, I quartered some baby yukon gold potatoes, drizzled them with olive oil, s&p, and garlic powder, and in the oven they went, too.
Frozen roasted corn from the freezer, and dinner was ready in no time! Start to finish, one hour. And most of the time I was in the office doing other stuff!
Now, I usually make a bread-type of stuffing when I do something like this, but I used the only good bread for the bread pudding last night. I had the other stuff on hand, and I was NOT about to head back to the store - OR - chop up the baguette I brought home from work today. Grocery shopping day is tomorrow, so I can get my Senior Discount! (Don't ask...) ;-)
And there's leftover bread pudding calling my name right now.....
Cranberry Sauce
As a kid growing up, I thought all Cranberry Sauce came out of a can, placed on a pretty dish, and sliced along the can indentations. And that's exactly how it was for the first twenty years of my life. That can of Ocean Spray sitting in the fridge a week before Thanksgiving, chilling away and awaiting it's debut on the always overly-laden Thanksgiving table. Imagine my surprise when I found out that cranberries were actually a fruit one could buy at the store, and that cranberry sauce was so simple to make! I always thought that cranberries came from Massachusetts, but... it seems that Wisconsin actually produces over 50% of the country's cranberries, with Massachusetts a distant second with 30%. Ya learn something new every day.....
This Thanksgiving, along with a homemade cranberry sauce or two, I'll have one can of Jellied Cranberry Sauce, sliced along the ridges, in the same fancy cut-glass dish my mom used every year. Somehow it just seems like the right thing to do.
So on to making some cranberry sauce... The basic is merely 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and one 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries... Bring water and sugar to a boil, add crannerries, bring back to a boil, and simmer about 10 minutes. Basic. Easy.
But cranberries lend themselve to so many other flavors, (or, so many other flavors lend themselves to cranberries) that with just a tiny bit of imagination, you can make a cranberry sauce from just about anything!
A few years back, we decided to showcase homemade cranberry sauce at work, and I spent the day playing with cranberries and all sorts of other fun ingredients. Cooking is great fun when someone else is paying for the ingredients! Here's a few of the ones we came up with...
Cranberry Raspberry Sauce
• 12-ounce package cranberries
• 1 bag Frozen Raspberries, thawed
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup 100% Cranberry Juice
In a heavy saucepan combine the cranberries, raspberries, sugar, and the cranberry juice. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and the sauce is thickened. Cool and refrigerate.
Triple Cranberry Sauce
• 1 cup 100% Cranberry Juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 12-ounce package cranberries
• 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
• 3 tablespoons Orange Marmalade
• 2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier
• 2 teaspoons minced orange peel
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice
Combine cranberry juice and sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add fresh and dried cranberries and cook until dried berries begin to soften and fresh berries begin to pop, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange marmalade, orange juice, orange peel and allspice. Chill.
Maple Cranberry Sauce
• 2 12-ounce packages fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups Maple Syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until cranberries pop, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Cool completely.
Apple Cranberry Sauce
• 1 12-ounce package cranberries
• 1 3/4 cups Fresh Apple Cider
• 3/4 cup Honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 1 cup Granny Smith Apple Rings, diced
• ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
• Pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Simmer until berries burst and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks. Refrigerate sauce until cold.
Cherry Cranberry Sauce
• 2 1/2 cups Cherry Cider
• 1 8-ounce package dried Montmorency Cherries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 12-ounce package cranberries
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
Bring cider to simmer in large saucepan. Add cherries. Mix in sugar, then cranberries and cloves. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries burst, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate until cold.
Cranberry Orange Sauce with Walnuts
• 12 oz cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 jar Mandarin Oranges, drained
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Combine first 4 ingredients in medium saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook until cranberries are tender and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in orange pieces and walnuts. Transfer to bowl. Cover and chill.
And this doesn't even begin to touch on Cranberry Chutneys...