My Grandmother's recipe for Cranberry Chutney is the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Easy and aromatic, a Holiday table wouldn't be complete without it!
I undoubtedly live for cranberry chutney. It may seem odd but the reason that I make roasted chicken, is to have an excuse to make and eat it. One Thanksgiving my Mom forgot to make the cranberry chutney and there were tears. It was ugly. I try not to think about it.
This is no ordinary cranberry sauce from a can monstrosity. Oh no, Nana’s cranberry chutney is sweet but still just the right amount of tart. It is cohesive yet you can distinguish the various ingredients. Magic. I eat it year round. I know tradition and Nature dictate that cranberries are eaten in the Fall and Winter. No worries. That is what freezers are for. There is happy bag of frozen fresh cranberries sitting with the vodka now. 🙂
I don’t mess around with my cranberry chutney; it’s Nana’s or no chutney. I am unabashedly judgy.
So why am I making Nana’s Cranberry Chutney weeks before Thanksgiving you might ask? ( Other than to share it with you, obviously.)
Because my Husband and I are hosting his family for the first time this Thanksgiving and I’m nervous. Truth: I’ve never roasted a turkey before. [So embarrassing!] That was always my Mom’s job. I hear other families have dry turkeys every Thanksgiving. Based on the countless articles about avoiding the embarrassment of an overdone turkey you would think there were some sort of National Dry Turkey Epidemic. Not in my house. Oh no, Mom’s turkey was moist and tender year after year. Why would I mess with perfection and try to do it myself?
That was my long-winded way of saying that I did a turkey test run. So, naturally, I needed some of Nana’s cranberry chutney to go with this test turkey. Another key point is that it’s a good thing my husband is out of town or he would say I’m nuts.
I have made some minor tweaks to Nana’s recipe but if you want to taste The Original, just eliminate the brandy and add more sugar.
My Mom says that Nana’s Cranberry Chutney makes good gifts and I believe her after spooning mine into these cute little jars. Although this may be true, it'd be hard to give them away...
Nana’s Cranberry Chutney
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups fresh cranberries (or 1 12oz bag)
- ¾ cup raisins (I like to use half red and half golden)
- 1 ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- 6 oz water
- 1 teaspoon brandy (optional – or you could use more…I’ve used up to 2 ½ teaspoons)
- ½ cup celery (finely diced )
- ½ cup onion (finely diced )
- ¾ cup apple (peeled and cored, finely diced )
Instructions
- Combine cranberries, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the cranberries pop.
- Stir in celery, onion, apple and brandy. Simmer at least 15 minutes. I like to cook mine for several hours over low heat until the apples, celery and onion have broken down.
Video Instructions
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