Do you ever get a little bored with those Christmas staples – cranberry sauce is a great example. Same old, same old. Well maybe using the traditional bulk ingredient but allowing it some alternative flavours would do the trick.
This is exactly what I have done with this creation. I’ve taken the tangy but sweet cranberry character and jazzed it up with a more Mexican slant, including lime, spring onion, garlic, chilli and coriander. The result offers a huge step towards less being less sugar loaded than the traditional cranberry sauce whilst enabling a recognisable and wonderful clash of flavour with the tanginess of the berries against the sweetness of the honey.
This works equally well alongside Turkey slices or a nut roast.
Ingredients:
1 and ½ cups of cranberries
Chilli Oil
Juice of one lime
Garlic Paste
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
10 cherry tomatoes
4 inch of cucumber
3 spring onions
A handful of both mint and coriander
A handful of hazelnuts
Sea salt and black pepper
How to:
Take 1 and a half cups of fresh cranberries, rinse then plunge into boiling water for two minutes. You will hear the berries pop out of their skins. Rinse them in cold water. Then set aside to marinate in 1 tablespoon of chilli oil, the juice of one lime, 1 teaspoon of garlic paste and 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup.
In the meantime, chop ten cherry tomatoes and a 4 inch piece of cucumber into small cubes. Take 3 spring onions and finely chop. Cut a handful of both mint and coriander finely.
Once the cranberries are cold mix the vegetables in with the berries. Combine well, seasoning with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Take a handful of hazelnuts and smash in a pestle and mortar. Sprinkle these onto the top.
Here served alongside turkey slices and quail eggs