This cranberry salad was always part of our holiday meals when I was younger. My Mother had an old-fashioned food grinder that she would attach to the kitchen table to grind the cranberries. No wonder she thought it was “a lot of trouble.” A food processor makes preparing this easy.
Add 2 cups of cranberries and the zest and juice of one orange to a food processor and pulse until the cranberries are a smallish grind but not like sand. Scrape into a bowl and stir in 1 ½ cups of sugar. Let sit on the counter for 2 – 3 hours stirring occasionally. Then add an 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple with the juice and 1 – 2 cups of toasted chopped pecans.
Shortly before the mixture is ready, prepare the Jello. In a separate medium bowl, add 2 3-ounce packages of lemon Jello and stir in 2 cups of hot water to dissolve. Add 1 cup of cold water, stir well, and pop into the refrigerator. Just as the Jello is beginning to congeal, add it to the cranberry mixture and stir well. You can either then transfer the entire mixture to a mold or fill individual ramekins (you should be able to fill about 10 4-ounce ramekins) and allow to sit in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight,
This is always a hit when I serve it. Even my friend Dale – who does not like cranberries – loved it. I always buy extra cranberries when they are available during the holiday season and freeze them so I can serve this at other times of the year.
Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious!!