Bog monster: the little berry with the big taste - food matters - Brief Article - Recipe

It would seem that any respectable article on cranberries would begin with the noble backgronnd of this patriotic fruit. For instance, we know that cranberries were most likely served at the first Thanksgiving, and that, along with the blueberry and the Concord grape, cranberries are a native North American crop. Blah, blah; blah.

But let's face it--for most of us, cranberries are basically a holiday-only food (think cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and cranberry-and-popcorn garlands on the Christmas tree) -- kind of like hard-boiled eggs at Easter and watermelon on the Fourth of July.

There is probably a good reason for this. Truth be told, you're not going to pop these hard, sour berries into your mouth like you would a strawberry, and who has the time (or the desire) to be boiling the berries into sauce except, of course, during the holidays? Yet there's something so unique about cranberries that can't be found in other fruits. First off, they're tart--lip-smackingly tart-- and for those of us who relish dill pickles, lemons and Granny Smith apples, they're a welcome addition to our food repertoire. Second, they go extraordinarily well with other flavors and foods: apples, oranges, nuts, pork and, of course, turkey. And then there's the whole health issue. Cranberry has been proven to aid in the prevention of urinary tract infections, gum disease, and breast cancer. So what's not to love? And there's more good news--cranberries are now available dried, lust like raisins, so you can eat them plain or use them in recipes, as in the following.

Nutty Cranberry Apple Pork

Serves 2-4

The flavors of fall come through in this antioxidant-rich
main dish.

  2 medium apples, diced small
1/2 cup dried cranberries, diced
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
  1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup orange juice
  1 lb. pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make stuffing: In a medium pan, saute
apples and cranberries in butter until apples
are soft and begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
Stir in breadcrumbs. Remove from heat and
add almonds.

Make glaze: In a small saucepan over low
heat, stir marmalade and orange juice until thin
and syrupy.

Butterfly-cut pork tenderloin, (slice horizontally
almost all the way through). Open and stuff with
apple cranberry mixture. Tie tenderloin together
and insert a meat thermometer. Place in a baking
dish (extra stuffing may be placed around the
tenderloin). Brush tenderloin with orange glaze
and bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, or until meat
thermometer reaches 170 degrees. Remove pork
from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before
serving. Season with salt and pepper.
Crunchy Cranberry Cereal

Makes 5 cups

Crunchier and tastier than boring old granola,
this mix is great served with plain yogurt or milk.

2-1/2 cups toasted rice cereal
1-1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped fine
1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a
cookie sheet. In a bowl, mix together toasted
rice, oats, cranberries and almonds.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat,
melt together honey, orange juice and butter.
Pour mixture over cereal mixture and stir to coat.

Spread mixture on cookie sheet and bake
for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to
cool and store tightly covered.
Ren's Cranberry Pizza

Who says pizza can't be a sweet snack or a
tangy appetizer? Blend this berry with your
favorite veggies and add some zip to your "pie."

Pizza dough:

6 cups flour (whole wheat or white)
1 tsp. salt
2 cups lukewarm water
1 package dry yeast
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp. oil

Mix together flour and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix lukewarm water and
add a package of dry yeast, 1/4 tsp. sugar, and
1-2 Tbsp. oil. Make a well in the middle of the
flour. Add the wet ingredients to the well. Mix
and knead until elastic, and turn into an oiled
bowl. Turn over once so oiled side is on top.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm
place for at least 1/2 hour.

Topping:

1 cup dried cranberries
1 medium zucchini, cooked and shredded
or sliced
2-3 Tbsp. feta cheese, crumbled

Parsley and basil, or other spices of choice
Pignoli (pine) nuts

Brush crust with olive oil and spices. Top with
pignoli nuts, cranberries, zucchini and feta
cheese. Slice into appetizer-sized wedges.
Cranberry Tofu Blintz Bake

Serves 4-6

You will never miss the cheese in these not-too-sweet
breakfast treats.

1 cup whole wheat flour (or a mixture
of white and whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup milk
Pinch salt

1 package silken tofu
Orange Cranberries (recipe follows)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8-inch
pan.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking
powder, 2/3 cup oil and sugar. Add 2 beaten
eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 egg,
milk. 2 Tbsp. oil, salt and tofu until mixture is
the consistency of cottage cheese.

Pour half the flour mixture into pan; pour
tofu mixture on top; pour on remaining flour
mixture. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden
and puffy. Cool five minutes, then cut into
squares and serve warm with Orange
Cranberries and powdered sugar.
Orange Cranberries

1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp. Grand Marnier (optional)
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1 stick cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan
and simmer over low heat until berries have
absorbed most of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
Discard cinnamon stick. Serve with Cranberry
Tofu Blintz Bake.

COPYRIGHT 2001 PRIMEDIA Intertec, a PRIMEDIA Company. All Rights Reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group