Thanksgiving and the Christmas season are a time of good food and families. Some of the food that I serve appeared on my grandmother’s table during these holidays.
I sometimes add and remove ingredients from those dishes. Candied yams have acquired brandy, asparagus is now made with fresh mushrooms instead of canned, and the turkey is fried. Certain members of the family still eat the cranberry jelly that you slide out of a can to be sliced. The rest crave my version of cranberry sauce. I am including a basic recipe but don’t forget the red wine, which is what makes it extra special. I usually double the recipe with lots of orange zest sprinkled on top.
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 bag of cranberries
1 can or jar of mandarin oranges
1-cup sugar, white or brown (your choice)
Juice from canned oranges plus red wine to equal one cup of liquid. Use good red wine and feel free to add more.
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil at med high heat.
Keep the boil going at a lower heat until all berries pop.
Simmer for 5 minutes more or until the sauce is a little less thick than you would like.
Take off the heat and let cool.
Notes: This sauce can be made a couple of days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. The sauce will get thicker and it is great on any kind of roast: turkey, ham, pork or lamb.