In the Organic Kitchen: Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine

I am very particular about my cranberry sauce. I don’t like it chunky. It should be a tab bit tart. And I love it when it is deep and soulfully delicious. This recipe has been one of my favorites for years.

Thanksgiving just would not be the same without this lovely little side dish. I mean, how would you make the most coveted part of any respectable Thanksgiving tradition: the day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich. Although, let’s be honest, it is usually the eleven-o’clock-almost-time-for-bed-Thanksgiving-day sandwich. That’s when you stand in your pj’s and slippers in the kitchen, wondering how you could possibly still be hungry. But the sandwich calls to you. Oh boy, does it call. I think this sandwich is the reason I make cranberry sauce. In fact, I think it is the reason I host Thanksgiving in the first place.

But I digress. This cranberry sauce comes together in a snap but tastes like you have spent the entire day slaving away. The red wine is the key. I used a Malbec. But any full-bodied red would work, such as a Shiraz or Syrah. The key to the wine you buy is make sure it is a bottle you would actually drink. If you buy a bottle of cheap wine, your cranberry sauce will taste like cheap wine. I am, however, not suggesting you break the bank. One of my favorite bottles of Malbac was on sale for $7.99. Now that is a good deal!

So this Thanksgiving wow your guests with this little beauty. But be prepared to make it again. Somehow the same dishes are requested over and over and over again, because they are such hits. Just ask my mother. She has been making the same seven layer salad since the ’70s! Happy Thanksgiving!

Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine
adapted from Bon Appetit

3 1/2 cups red wine (Malbec, Shiraz, Syrah)
1-2 cups sugar (depending on your tastes-I started with 1 cup)
1-2 cups golden brown sugar (again, depending on your tastes)
12 whole cloves
12 whole allspice (if you only have ground, that is ok)
4 cinnamon sticks
zest from one larger clementine
6 cups fresh cranberries (about 2 12 oz bags)

Combine all ingredients except for the cranberries in a heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to about half. Strain syrup and add back to pan. Add cranberries to syrup and cook over medium heat until berries have burst, about 10-20 minutes. Cool and transfer to medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made 3-4 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Enjoy!

For more photos and recipe ideas, check out Corey’s blog, Intheorganickitchen.com. Visit weekly to see her latest organic obsession.