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A U.S. Thanksgiving tradition is lost on 2 former members of The Cranberries

Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish recipe.
Ariel Zambelich
/
Ariel Zambelich
Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish recipe.

Updated November 19, 2021 at 11:13 AM ET

NPR has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and most of the past half-century has featured a Thanksgiving recipe from Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg. She persists in the face of grins, groans, and gripes – "oh, no! That again!"

But Stamberg believes in tradition, and always emphasizes that it's the recipe that sounds terrible, but tastes terrific. It comes from her late mother-in-law Marjorie Stamberg, who served it for our correspondent's first Thanksgiving in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she was taken to be inspected by the people who would become her in-laws. She thought it quite delicious (felt the same way about their son), and decided to share it annually with listeners. Here, for your holiday pleasure, it is:


Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish

2 cups raw cranberries – washed

1 small onion

½ cup sugar

¾ cup sour cream

2 T. horseradish.

Grind the cranberries and onion together (I use an old-fashioned meat grinder, but you can use a processor – just keep pieces chunky). Add everything else. Mix. Put in a container and freeze. On Thanksgiving morning, move the relish from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment, to thaw. It will be thick, creamy, chunky, and shocking pink*. Makes 1 and ½ pints.


*It should be pointed out that some listeners, put off by the shade, felt it looked the color of Pepto Bismol. "Ridiculous!" harrumphs Stamberg. It's a beautiful bright pink, thanks to the cranberries.

"Try it. You'll like It." Her final words on the subject, at least for Thanksgiving 2021.

Happy holidays.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Nationally renowned broadcast journalist Susan Stamberg is a special correspondent for NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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