Spicy Cranberry Jam & Kumquat Salsa

Yep, we're spicing things up today so you can put some heat into the kitchen. Not that it's already way too hot, but eh, sweating cools you down. Cranberries are one of my favorite foods ever, hands down. They're sweet, tart, sour, and has a rich history in America (another post, another day). Come the fall, it's out in full ruby force in my kitchen.

This spicy cranberry jam was given to me by a friend, and after getting not just a few e-mails demanding the recipe I decided to post it. The recipe is pretty flexible, I've never made it the same way twice, yet each time I find myself deliciously satisfied.

Spicy Cranberry Jam
Makes about 2 cups

What You'll Need...
1 lb. frozen or fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 granny smith apple
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chili powder or cayenne pepper

What You'll Do...
1) Wash and drain the berries. Throw them in a bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Turn a few times and let it sit overnight.

2) Dice the apples up good. Drain some of the juice from the berries. Throw the apples, two spoonfuls of the cranberries, and the grated rind in a heavy saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of water and simmer for 10-20 minutes.

3) Add the rest of the berries and the chili powder. Mix and pour into sterilized jars. Cool and store or gorge yourself.

Variations:
Add apricots, some raisins, some brown sugar and cut out the water for 1/4 cup of orange juice and 1/4 white vinegar to the initial cooking process for an awesome chutney.

To make the jame a different version of spicy, and give it a more of an Indian flare add some dry mustard, coriander, ginger, and cilantro.

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This kumquat salsa was made on a whim a week ago. It was just a basic salsa recipe, the the addition of kumquats gave it a definite sweet-n-citrus flare. A little more salt would have balanced it out a bit more. I also found that it got sweeter as time went by and overpowered some of the heat. I suggest you add a good amount of really strong onions to help out. This is great for chips, or as a condiment for yougurt based soups and on grilled chicken or fish.

I also almost sliced my thumb off in the process while not paying attention and using a brand new knife. It's sharp enough that you could cut time and space with it, and therefore sufficiently sharp enough to cut a bitch (like myself). After 3 hours of applied pressure, and a week of healing, I know have an excellent scar beginning to form. Salsa tasted yummy anyways. Totally worth it.

Kumquat Salsa
Makes about 2 cups

What You'll Need...
1 onion
1 jalepeno
1 bell pepper
5 roma tomatoes
5 kumquats
juice and zest of 1 lime
kosher salt

What You'll Do...
Chop it all up, and mix in a bowl or your mouth. Either one is good, though your mouth cuts out the middleman.

Enjoy!