Cranberry Relish

This holiday dish is one that might just be considered my favorite. I love the way it goes deliciously well with ham or turkey or as far as that goes pretty much whatever entrée meat you will be serving. It is also a dish that my mother often brought to the holiday table and was quite proud of it. While her sisters were bakers and caterers her cranberry relish was one that was topped by none other. I hope that you enjoy!!

1 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more to taste
1 strip orange or lemon zest
1 orange, quartered (unpeeled), seeds removed
1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, quartered (unpeeled), seeds removed
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Empty cranberries into a saucepan, reserving 1/2 cup in a small bowl. To the saucepan, add 1 cup of the sugar, the lemon or orange zest, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes.
 Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the reserved cranberries. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
Roughly chop the apple and orange in a food processor with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Fold into the cranberry sauce along with pecans. Let cool to room temperature before serving

this recipe originally found in the food network magazine.