Tired of the run of the mill on Thanksgiving? Did you have the same-old same old? Not in this house we didn’t. Oh sure, we had a turkey–that world-class butterflied turkey roasted over root vegetable panzanella that I’ve been touting for a few years now (https://jeffskitchen.net/2013/12/25/christmas-2013-butterflied-turkey-root-vegetable-panzanella-and-mushroom-). The panzanella is amazing, and the barley pilaf is too.

But I’ve done something different than plain old cranberry sauce (not that my cranberry sauce is “plain old,” but lately I’ve been experimenting with chutneys, so I decided to attempt a cranberry chutney, just to add a little spice to the celebration, as if any more spice was really needed.

Also, Ellen dazzled with an amazing totally vegan mince pie, but I’ll save that for the next post.

So. Cranberry chutney. Actually, it’s a lot more complex than cranberry. It’s cranberry-apple-pear-ginger–you get the idea. But a real chutney it is, and it was spectacular. It also cans well, so if you’re into putting your wonderful cooking up in jars, this one is a perfect addition to your condiment shelf, and makes a great gift, as well.

Cranberry-Apple-Pear Chutney

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh cranberries

2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup cider vinegar

6 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced (1/2-inch dice)

1 firm Red, Bosc, or Anjou pear, peeled, cored, and diced (1/2-inch dice)

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

1 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup chrystallized ginger, finely chopped

Preparation:

In a large enamel-coated or stainless-steel pot over medium heat, combine cranberries, sugar, water, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the cranberries pop, 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the apples, pears, onions, raisins, and ginger, and stir well. Continue to cook, stirring often until thick, 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves (if you can find them), and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Alternately, you can can the chutney. In this case, leave the heat under the chutney at the lowest setting. Wash and sterilizing 6 half-pint jars and lids, and prepare a water-bath canning pot. When boiling, place the jars in the water and turn down the heat to medium-low. Remove one jar at a time, pour the water back into the canning pot, and carefully fill the jar, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Using a knife, slowly stir the hot chutney to remove any air bubbles that remain in the jar. Wipe the rim and threads of the jar and tighten the lid to hand tight. Set the jar back in the canning pot and repeat the filling process until all the jars are filled. Return the canner to a boil, cover, and boil for 15 minutes. Remove the jars from the canner and set on a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature. The jars have sealed if the lids pop inward, so that they are concave. If the last jar is not filled to within 1/4 inch of the top, do not process it, but allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. It will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks. If any of the processed jars don’t seal, they will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks. Give them as gifts.