Grandma's Cherried Cranberries

This coming week we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. Though I have lived in Guatemala for the past five Thanksgivings, I still celebrate by making a feast for my family and guests. Though vegan menus are somewhat different from the Thanksgiving meals of my childhood, one dish remains constant: Grandma’s Cherried Cranberries.

When I was young, I spent hours with my Grandma in the kitchen. I was always underfoot as she and my aunt cooked a huge Thanksgiving dinner, as I hoped a few bits of pie crust would come my way. As long as I can remember, the cherried cranberries were a part of our celebration, and I continued the tradition after Grandma died.

These cranberries are called “cherried” because the cooking method causes them to remain mostly whole. The secret is in heating them slowly so only a few of them pop, and they don’t turn into cranberry sauce.