When I was a kid, my dad would haul in the fresh-cut tree, put up the holiday lights, and shovel the drive. Occasionally, we'd find him in the kitchen, working to perfect each dish with the perfect ratio, texture, and ingredients. Among his creations: this cranberry salad. Over the years, he's tinkered with the process: when to add the sugar, how much orange rind to include...until he got it just right. The salad can be eaten as a side or as dessert. (My dad will say it's even better the next day.) You can bet it'll be at our holiday table again this year.
Ingredients:
- 12–16 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 whole orange (plus half of the rind), finely chopped
- 1 whole apple, cored and chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
Instructions:
1. In a food processor, process the cranberries and sugar until the berries are coarsely chopped. My dad will remove half of the cranberry mixture when it's coarsely chopped and place in a large bowl. Process the remaining cranberries until they are finely chopped. Add the finely chopped cranberries to the large bowl.
2. Peel the rind off the orange, and reserve half of the rind. (Throw out the other half.) Chop the half rind and orange into small pieces. Add the chopped orange, half rind, and any juices to the large bowl.
3. Chop the cored apple until it's in small chunks. (No need to peel it.) Add the chopped apple to the large bowl with the cranberry and orange mixture.
4. Chop the stalk of celery, and add to the bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together, and let chill in the refrigerator. The dish is good for a few days—and the flavor gets better with time.
NOTE: Instead of chopping, you could use a food processor, processing each ingredient on its own and then adding to the large bowl.
