Cranberry Relish

Submitted by patti k.

"This is my mother-in-law's recipe and as far as my husband and son are concerned, it is the most important part of thanksgiving dinner. It's nice to serve this in a glass bowl to show off the festive red color. Preparation time does not include overnight refrigeration."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) bag cranberries
• 1 (6 ounce) box red Jell-O (pick your favorite red flavor, or use two 3-oz boxes and mix flavors)
• 1 apple, cored but unpeeled
• 1 orange, seeded, but unpeeled
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans or 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained (I typically use a 16 oz can and it also works fine)
• 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 cup sugar (optional)

directions

1. Chop or grind cranberries, orange (with rind) and apple (with peel). Make sure you do this in such a way as to conserve all of the juice.
2. You can use a food processor or one of the old metal food grinders that clamp to your table - mine drips horribly, but if you have kids helping, it's lots of fun for them to turn the crank and hear the cranberries pop. You could of course chop it all by hand with a knife, but you'll want to chop everything very finely.
3. Place fruits and their juices in a serving dish/bowl that will hold 8-10 cups.
4. Add diced celery, nuts and crushed pineapple with juice.
5. Dissolve jello in recommended amount of boiling water (2 cups), and add to the fruit/nut mixture.
6. Depending on how juicy your fruit is, you may not need to add any cold water to the mixture. If you think it will need it, don't add more than 1 cup.
7. Depending on the tartness of your fruits, you may or may not want to add some sugar, perhaps 1/2 cup. (I just taste it before putting it in the fridge to set and add sugar if it seems too tart.).
8. Refrigerate for several hours till set(overnight is good).

Reviews

[free-free]

This is lovely beyond words!! I think I was initially thrown by the word relish...I find this dish is so versatile as far as how it can be be served or what to call it...it could easily be a side with most proteins ( a GREAT addition to a Thanksgiving table - particularly if you , like me, are asked to bring side dishes to another's house); but it also stands on its own as a salad type meal, a light lunch or snack...even as a desert:) I was a little lazy with my chopping...my food processor left some of the berry and apple bits whole and I actually liked the chunky pieces (a Happy Mistake:) ) I also used a giant can of pineapple and didn't measure very well so I had ALOT more of that flavor going on (no need for extra sugar with all that sweetness (another Happy Mistake :) ) This was so good and so simple...visually stunning with jewel like hues of ruby and green highlights...It made me long to make it in a fancy cut crystal bowl... still it looked quite nice in my trusty old glass bowl too despite it's hard use and scratches :) Next time this jewel deserves a nicer setting!!! - Thanks pattikay in L.A. this is a fabulous recipe!!! A true keeper to bring out anytime to impress at a nice dinner party or to treat yourself a little special when you need to!

 

[O.D. learning new t]

My whole family loves this recipe! Mine calls for applesauce and orange rind but I think using the whole fruits will make it even better. I typically use sugar-free jello and pineapple (Splenda sweetened) and no one knows the difference. I also toast my pecans so they stay crunchy. I make this in a glass trifle dish to show off the lovely color and have to double the recipe for our big family.

 

[Mimi Bobeck]

My appologies for being so tardy in getting this review in! I made this a long time ago and loved it. This is a recipe that's as much fun to make as it is to look at an of course: eat! I really loved the combination of celery, orange, cranberry, and apple. It's was sweet, tart, crunchy and juicy all at the same time. Pretty cool! Where in the world did your mom-in-law come up with such a creative idea?

 

[Tweezle]

I really thought the family would love this one, because they love cranberries. Sadly, this one was tasted but not touched after - no one went back for more (which is very unusual for them!)