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Cranberry Date Relish With Ginger

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(4)

Cranberry Date Ginger Relish being served in a bowl.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

A raw cranberry relish is a refreshingly punchy change from the typical jammy cooked cranberry sauce, and far less sweet, making it a great foil for roast meats as well as a holiday turkey. You can simply chop everything together in the food processor, but for a better texture and appearance, take the time to chop the dates and ginger by hand to ensure lovely pops of flavor in every bite. This makes a generous amount; halve the recipe if you prefer. The spicy heat of this cranberry relish will vary depending on the size of the jalapeño you use; feel free to start with less and add to taste.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 8–10

Ingredients

¼ cup [60 g] pitted dates
¼ cup [45 g] crystallized ginger
3 scallions
1 lb [455 g] fresh cranberries
3 Tbsp. honey
Juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
¼ cup [10 g] chopped fresh cilantro
1¼ tsp. minced fresh ginger
¼ tsp. fine sea salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using a large, sharp knife, dice the dates and crystallized ginger into small, uniform dice. Thinly slice the scallions and then mince them finely.

    Step 2

    Put the cranberries in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until they are in rough pieces. Add the honey, lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, fresh ginger, salt, and pepper and continue to pulse until finely diced. Add the dates, crystalized ginger, and scallions and pulse once or twice to combine.

    Step 3

    Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend thoroughly. Serve at room temperature.

Flavors of the Sun Cookbook Cover by Christine Sahadi Whelan
Excerpted with permission from Flavors of the Sun: The Sahadi’s Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle Eastern Ingredients (Chronicle Books, 2021) by Christine Sahadi Whelan. Copyright text © 2021 by Christine Sahadi Whelan. Photography by Kristin Teig. Reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books.

Buy the full book from Chronicle Books, Amazon, or Bookshop.

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