Recipe: Lior's Spiced Cranberry Chutney With Apricots and Pecans

½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. each: ground fennel and ground cardamom
1/8 tsp. each: ground cloves and ground ginger
Pinch cayenne pepper
½ cup apple cider
¼ cup pomegranate juice
1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup dried apricots, cut into small dice
¼ cup toasted pecans, chopped coarse
2 tsps. finely grated orange zest

Mix spices; bring cider, pomegranate juice, and spice blend to a boil in a large saucepan. Add fresh or frozen cranberries and return to a boil, cooking until some of the cranberries just start to pop, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, mix dried cranberries, apricots, pecans and orange zest in a medium bowl. Add cooked cranberries to the dried fruits; toss gently to coat. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.)

Serves: 6 to 8
Per serving for 6: 119 calories, 24g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 3g fat (0g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 4g dietary fiber, 5mg sodium

Tips:

• Prepare chutney ahead of time so flavors can develop. Remember this is not a treacly sauce. It relies only on dried fruit and juices for sweetness.
• Leftovers make a great condiment for lamb, chicken thighs or goat cheese or as a yogurt topping.
• If you can’t find ground fennel, finely crush fennel seeds with a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or mince with a sharp chef’s knife).
• You can also substitute an equal amount of ground star anise for the fennel.

To simplify:

Follow recipe for Spiced Cranberry Chutney with Apricots and Pecans, substituting 1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice or Apple Pie Spice blend (or curry powder or garam masala for the more adventurous) for all of the spices.

To lighten:

For this version use any of the suggested spice blends—homemade or store bought.

Follow recipe for Spiced Cranberry Chutney with Apricots and Pecans omitting dried cranberries and apricots (but not pecans) and adding 1 1/2 tablespoons honey along with the fruit juices. Since there’s not as much fruit, decrease apple cider from ½ to ¼ cup.