Cranberry-Fig Sauce with Warm Spices and Petimezi
OK, so we don’t’ really have cranberries in Greece, but that has never stopped me from making a Greek-inspired cranberry sauce, replete with those amazing umami-like Greek fried figs from Northern Evvoia, all the warm spices, and a drizzling of two really special ingredients: Petimezi, or grape molasses, and honey vinegar or balsamic, whichever you prefer. Petimezi is an ancient sweetener and one of the most delicious, iron-filled, nutritious additions to dressings and sauces. It goes particularly well with berries and dried fruits.
RATING
Ingredients
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 allspice berries
- 6 whole cloves
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 bag frozen cranberries defrosted
- 10 Greek dried figs quartered (preferably from Taxiarchon in Evvoia)
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- Juice of 1 orange strained
- 2/3 cup dry red wine
- 4 tablespoons petimezi or more to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons honey vinegar or Greek balsamic to taste
Instructions
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Tie up the cinnamon stick, allspice, cloves and black peppercorns in a small cheesecloth satchel, if desired.
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Place the spices, cranberries, figs, orange zest, juice, wine, petimezi and vinegar in a saucepan and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the berries have burst and the sauce is thick and syrupy. Remove and serve. May be made up to three days ahead.
