Cranberry Ezme (Turkish Cranberry Relish)
This complex, downright delicious ezme recipe makes a grown-up alternative to regular ol’ cranberry sauce on your Thanksgiving table. Mixing finely ground fresh cranberries, aromatics, and herbs with a brown sugar-kissed, tangy pomegranate molasses dressing. It’s a very refreshing contrast to your more heavily cooked holiday dishes.
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 684kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz cranberries fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup navel orange, or blood orange peeled and chopped
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons dried mint
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Optional Garnishes
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Place the cranberries, chopped orange, parsley, red onion, garlic, and salt in a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped, but not pureed.
- Transfer the cranberry mixture to a wire mesh strainer suspended over a bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes to drain out some of the excess moisture.
- After 15 minutes, discard the juices that have been released. Place the ground contents of the strainer into the bowl and stir in the brown sugar, pomegranate molasses, dried mint, lemon juice, Aleppo pepper flakes, sumac, black pepper, and olive oil.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, sugar, or lemon juice if needed.
- Serve the ezme in an attractive dish, optionally garnished with fresh mint or parsley leaves.
Video
Notes
🌶️ Spice, Spice Baby
Ezme’s all about balancing tangy and spicy, but it’s easy to tip the scales. Adjust your lemon juice and sweetener gradually to keep things harmonious while tasting as you go. 🔪 Edward Scissorhands That Veg
For the best texture, chop your veggies finely. A food processor can help, but don’t pulverize them—you want uniform bits, not a mushy blob. Finer pieces soak up all the flavors better. 🌀 Drain the Swamp
If you're storing ezme for more than a day, it’ll start releasing cranberry juice. Let it drain in a wire mesh strainer and taste again to adjust seasonings before serving.
Ezme’s all about balancing tangy and spicy, but it’s easy to tip the scales. Adjust your lemon juice and sweetener gradually to keep things harmonious while tasting as you go. 🔪 Edward Scissorhands That Veg
For the best texture, chop your veggies finely. A food processor can help, but don’t pulverize them—you want uniform bits, not a mushy blob. Finer pieces soak up all the flavors better. 🌀 Drain the Swamp
If you're storing ezme for more than a day, it’ll start releasing cranberry juice. Let it drain in a wire mesh strainer and taste again to adjust seasonings before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 684kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 40g | Sodium: 896mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 1748IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg