By Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
“The Indians and English use them much, boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicious sauce.”
John Josselyn, while visiting New England in 1663
 
Cranberries are the sparkling, ruby jewels in the crown of the Holiday season. Their bright scarlet color, interesting taste, and terrific medicinal value make them a worthy gastronomic delight. A little known fact is that cranberries are actually a native Northwest food.
The cranberry grew wild, south of the mighty Columbia, on the Clastop Plain and was an extremely important part of the native Quinalt and Clastop’s diet. Cranberries were a major ingredient in one of their staples, Pemmican. They also used it as a dye for baskets and clothing and as medicine. The Native Americans had figured out the healing and preservative properties of the berry a long time ago.
As I’m sure you guessed, cranberries are also loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants. On top of that, flavonoid compounds found in abundance in cranberries, promote healthy arteries as well as benefiting the digestive tract. All this and there is only 25 calories per half cup of cranberries. This is the little berry who could!
As of now there are over 173 growers in Oregon and around 200 in Washington. Nearly 20% of all cranberries grown in the U.S. are from the Northwest. The West Coast berry is actually an important commodity in the cranberry market because of our longer growing season; we produce a berry that is darker red in color. The Northwest berry is necessary to mix with berries from other areas to produce the distinctive red color in all cranberry products. (Dark red means more antioxidants too) Consequently all fresh cranberries you can buy are Northwest cranberries. Amazing huh!
Here are a few tips about cranberries.
-Make sure and use non-reactive pans like stainless steel or glass when cooking cranberries to prevent off-color and flavoring from happening.
-Fresh cranberries bounce when dropped on the counter. They have a short season so buy extra and freeze them.
-To make quick work of chopping fresh berries, pop them in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times.
This dish is a solid winner. It is easy, relatively fast and very showy. It also uses the leanest cut of pork and adds flavor and color with the use of cranberries. Use your imagination and have fun. I hope your holiday season brings you health, happiness and many a good belly rubbing meal!
Cranberry stuffed pork loin
2 pound pork loin
2 cups of cranberry juice
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of kosher salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 large pear, chopped fine
1 tablespoon of fresh minced rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup of chevre, (soft goat cheese)
2 tablespoons of dried cranberries
1/8 teaspoon of salt
Few cranks of pepper
Little olive oil
Cranberry sauce for pork
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup of fresh cranberries
1/2 cup of cranberry juice
1 -3 tablespoons of sugar
To stuff the pork loin, you first need to flatten the thing, which can be a feat. Lay it on a nice solid cutting board and cut it horizontally through the center of the loin, but not through it. Open it flat like a book. Cover the loin with plastic wrap and pound the loin with a small heavy frying pan or a meat mallet. Pound it till it is as thin as you can get it. (Or 1/2 inch thick.)
Combine the cranberry juice, water, salt and sugar in a large bowl and stir till dissolved. Add the pork loin into the marinade and tuck into the fridge for 4 hours or so to marinate, turning occasionally.
When the time has come to cook it, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and drain the pork loin in a colander. While it is draining, combine the pear, garlic, chevre, cranberries, salt and pepper. Open up the loin and smear it with the chevre mixture. Roll up the roast, jelly roll style, and lay in a lightly oiled baking pan seam side down. (Some people like to tie it with kitchen string) Oil the top of the loin with a wee bit of olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes or so (20 minutes per pound) till it is succulent and cooked through. Let stand for 15 minutes before you slice it.
While the loin is waiting for the great cutting, add the onion to a slightly oiled skillet and sauté till fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the fresh cranberries, juice, and the sugar to pan and cook over medium heat scrapping up the browned bits. Reduce to simmer and cook for 5 more minutes or until the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens. Serve up the loin slices with the cranberry sauce on the side. (BTW this sauce goes great with turkey too!)