Coolio Samples Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish

Enlarge this image toggle caption Antony Nagelmann/Max Intrisano Antony Nagelmann/Max Intrisano

What's missing from Gangsta's Paradise? Cranberry relish, of course. So NPR's Susan Stamberg sent her mother-in-law's "sounds terrible, tastes terrific" recipe to Coolio, Grammy Award-winning rapper and author of Cookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price.

"The color is a little weird, but it was actually quite good," Coolio says, after sampling the Pepto-Bismol-hued relish on a smoked turkey sandwich with mustard, mayo and melted cheese.

Chef Coolio believes in fusion cooking -- on his online cooking show, he makes Mexitalian and Blasian (that's black plus Asian) culinary creations -- so naturally he improvised a little on Mama Stamberg's recipe: with a dash of really spicy Thai hot sauce.

He suggests the new concoction be called "Mama Stamberg and Coolio's Wild Cranberry Pinkout" -- and he even improvised a few verses in its honor:

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You take some cranberry

A little bit of horseradish

And some onions.

Now I got a relish fetish.

Mama Stamberg

That's what you heard.

It's Coolio, not Stamberg

With some cranberries

And a little bit of onion, y'all.

And some horseradish.

Now I got a fetish

For that relish.

And it's Pinkout.

Better pull your drink out.

"I had to censor it," Coolio admits. "Happy holidays."

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Hide caption The ingredients: 2 cups whole raw cranberries; 1 small onion; 3/4 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar—white or red. Previous Next

Hide caption Wash the cranberries... Previous Next

Hide caption Chop the onion... Previous Next

Hide caption Combine cranberries, onion and sugar in a food processor. Previous Next

Hide caption Grind the cranberry-sugar mixture until coarse. Previous Next

Hide caption Add horseradish... Previous Next

Hide caption ...and sour cream. Previous Next

Hide caption Mix one more time. Previous Next

Hide caption Transfer to a plastic (freezable) container, and place in the freezer, for overnight or longer. Previous Next

Hide caption Early Thanksgiving morning, move the relish from freezer to refrigerator to thaw. It should still have some little icy slivers left. The relish will be thick, creamy, and shockingly pink—"Pepto Bismol pink," Susan Stamberg says. Previous Next

Hide caption The pink star of the meal—aside from the turkey, of course—shares a plate with mashed sweet potatoes, stuffing and green bean casserole. Previous Next 1 of 12 i View slideshow

The Recipe's Origins As Susan Stamberg has noted, her mother-in-law got the recipe from a 1959 New York Times clipping of Craig Claiborne's recipe for cranberry relish. In 1993, Claiborne told Stamberg: "Susan, I am simply delighted. We have gotten more mileage, you and I, out of that recipe than almost anything I've printed."

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish

This relish has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It's also good on next-day turkey sandwiches and with roast beef.

Makes 1 1/2 pints

Ingredients

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed

1 small onion

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar ("red is a bit milder than white")

Instructions

Grind the raw berries and onion together. ("I use an old-fashioned meat grinder," Stamberg says. "I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind, not a puree.")

Add everything else and mix.

Put in a plastic container and freeze.

Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. ("It should still have some little icy slivers left.")

The relish will be thick, creamy and shocking pink. ("OK, Pepto-Bismol pink.")