Thanksgiving update. While we had both this relish and beautifully prepared from scratch cranberry sauce, neither made it to the table! Just as we were clearing the dishes, someone remarked, “Where’s the cranberry sauce!”

Just five ingredients, buzzed in a food processor, and you have a tangy relish for your holiday table. And no cooking!

This is one of the easiest holiday recipes around. When I was in high school, I first made this with my mother using her trusty meat grinder, and if I could lay my hands on the grinder quickly, I probably would have used it here just for old time’s sake.

High school cooking instruction, sort of

After Mom passed away, I retrieved her recipe box and discovered lots of treasurers. Included in her box were all the recipe cards from a home economics course I took in high school. We had shared this box for many years. I did not do well in that class, not taking it seriously, nor did most of my classmates. Here was a group of girls (no guys) who for the most part had spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping their mothers or cooking the meals themselves, and our first-year teacher seemed intent educating us on the proper preparation of such things as toast with cinnamon and sugar, hot cocoa, and box mix corn muffins.

One keeper recipe

However, I did like the cranberry relish recipe and brought it home where Mom and I made this and loved both its taste and texture, and its simplicity. I think I also like this because I have the 3X5 card with my still-neat penmanship.

The original recipe called for cranberries, sugar, and the orange, that’s it. However, we made it differently over time, adding and subtracting. Other additions included a jalapeño pepper, an apple, and swapping out a couple of limes for the orange, also really delicious.

When using citrus peeling in any recipe, seeks out organic fruit. Citrus is one of those fruits that hold a lot of pesticides in their skins, so organic, well scrubbed, is your best bet.

The cranberry adds tartness, the horseradish a bit of a bite, and the cranberry both a little sweet and bitter since we are using the entire orange, peel, pith, flesh and all. The sage adds interest; it’s one of my favorite herbs to combine with cranberries. If you want more heat, add a jalapeño.

If you can’t find fresh horseradish, add a tablespoon of prepared horseradish, taste and adjust.

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 large orange, cut up, seeded

1/2 cup granulated organic sugar

1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage

2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish

Combine everything in a food processor and pulse until it is at the consistency you want. Taste and adjust. Do you want more horseradish? A little more sage? It’s up to you.

This will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

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