How I Relish a Good Relish

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2010. Somehow, I changed the settings and can't figure out how to put this back to the original date. I gave in and left it here.

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Having grown up in Greece and then in Australia, I knew nothing about Thanksgiving, that wonderful coming-together of family and friends to eat too much turkey and all of the other traditional dishes.

When my husband's family gathers, everyone brings one or two dishes--their traditional Southern specialty. We have creamed corn, green beans cooked with a little fatback, mashed potatoes with giblet gravy, dressing, devilled eggs, sweet potato casserole and all manner of sweet stuff, with pumpkin pie and red velvet cake always winning the popularity contest.

The tradition of having cranberry jelly to go with the turkey is always honored. For me, as I came to feel like I belonged in this family tradition, I found my own recipe and brought another type of cranberry to the table--literally!

Cranberry Orange Pecan Relish
2 (12 oz) bags of fresh cranberries
zest of 3 large oranges
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups pecans, finely chopped

Pour all ingredients (except pecans) in a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook until all cranberries have popped and liquid has reduced by about one third. Stir in pecans and remove from heat. Once cooled and thickened, refrigerate. Should keep in your refrigerator for about 4 weeks.

This is an excellent accompaniment to roasted and grilled meats, especially during the holidays, when it lends a tangy seasonal flavor to roast pork loin, ham and turkey or chicken.

Tomorrow night I will serve this with a sirloin beef roast. Give it a try and let me know which meat you prefer to serve it with.

© 2010 Despina Panagakos Yeargin