Fresh Cranberry Relish

With Thanksgiving sneaking right up on us (Tomorrow!), I wanted to share with you a favorite family recipe that usually appears around this time of year.  It's a raw cranberry relish that combines tart cranberries with bright citrus and sweet apple.  All of the ingredients are chopped, so, with some electric assistance, you can prepare the recipe in a snap.

Until just yesterday, I'd always thought that this cranberry relish was one of my grandmother's recipes.  Turns out, the dish made its way to my family via my aunt's good friend, P.  See P.'s recipe and hilarious notes below.  I've added just one comment, in brackets.

OK - Here goes. It's better if it can sit overnight. Mine is already done and on the porch!

You need: 4 cups of fresh cranberries (two bags and you'll have leftover - feed the birds or decorate your wreath), two navel oranges, one large red apple (not Delicious), 1 1/2 cups of sugar. 

Grate peel of one orange into large bowl. Peel and remove pulp on both oranges. Cut into chunks. Core and quarter unpeeled apple; cut into half inch pieces. Wash and sort cranberries. Chop cranberries and oranges in food processor.* [Be sure to pulse the food processor, rather than running it continuously, to avoid ending up with a slurry.] Add to apple and grated orange rind. Mix in sugar and let set in refrigerator (or similar cold place) overnight.

*Before the Food Processor came into my life, a task that now takes 20 seconds, took a cup of scotch and 3 1/2 hours cutting up all those cranberries. By the time the scotch was gone, I couldn't even catch the little buggers. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all.

A nice alternative to jelly from the can, right?  :)  (Don't get me wrong, the jelly has its place.)  Enjoy!

(Image via Eliza Domestica.)