My Favorite New Thanksgiving Recipe

Thanks to Rocco DiSpirito for this one

🧪 The Chemistry of Cranberries — Rocco’s No-Cook Relish

Yesterday on our live Thanksgiving cooking show, we made many dishes — but this one stole the spotlight.

This no-cook cranberry orange relish is adapted from chef Rocco DiSpirito — and honestly, it might be my favorite find of the day.
No stovetop, no stress. Just fresh fruit, sugar, and a food processor.

And yes, we’re still hoping Rocco decides to open a restaurant here in Ventura… or at least come cook live with us.

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🍊 The Recipe

No-Cook Cranberry Orange Relish (Rocco DiSpirito–Style)
Serves: 8  Prep Time: 10 min  Cook Time: None

Ingredients

• ½ bag fresh cranberries (~6 oz)

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 medium orange, quartered with the peel on (remove seeds)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain cranberries. Dice the orange — peel included — since that’s where the oils and aroma live.

2. Add everything to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, not pureed.

3. Taste and adjust sweetness or cinnamon.

4. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. As it chills, the natural pectin in the cranberries and orange peel forms a light gel.

5. Serve cold. Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge.

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🧬 Culinary Medicine Notes

Cranberries and orange peel are full of pectin, a soluble, fermentable fiber.
When your gut microbes digest it, they create short-chain fatty acids — butyrate, acetate, and propionate — which improve glucose control, lower inflammation, and nourish your colon cells.

Add in the orange’s polyphenols and essential oils, and you’ve got a condiment that’s as good for your mitochondria as it is for your holiday plate.

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🙏 Thank You and Where to Find the Recipes

Thanks to everyone who joined yesterday’s live Thanksgiving show!
All the recipes we cooked together are now on my webiste terrysimpson.com under Mediterranean Celebrations:

• 🦃 Roasted Turkey in Parts — with za’atar, sumac, and herbes de Provence

• 🥕 Roasted Carrots with Warm Spices & Maple

• 🥔 Savory Spiced Sweet Potato Purée

• 🥔 Mashed Russet Potatoes

• 🌿 Green Bean, Mustard & Mushroom Casserole

• 🍞 Cornbread Stuffing with Crispy Turkey Skin

• 🍊 No-Cook Cranberry Orange Relish (Rocco DiSpirito–Style)

Each one blends Mediterranean inspiration with a bit of modern science — food that’s joyful, evidence-based, and easy to share.

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🍽 Final Thought

“Cooking is chemistry — and sometimes the best chemistry doesn’t even need heat.”

Thank you all for cooking along - we had 65,000 likes and here’s to bringing more Mediterranean balance (and a few good laughs) to your table.

We will continue to do live cooking shows, and for our paid subscribers, you will get the recipes in advance. It was a lot of fun - and ambitious. Still looking for the right time to do these shows. Let me know what you about Thursdays 430 pm vs Saturday or Sunday at those same times (Pacific Time region, whatever daylight or non daylight savings happen to be).