Spicy Cranberry Sauce with Pinot Noir

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 cups Pinot Noir or other dry red wine
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• Large pinch of Chinese five-spice powder

Directions

1. Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and warm the oil. Tip in the cranberries and fresh ginger, then stir until the berries start popping open, 3-5 minutes. Pour in the wine and add the sugar; let it boil until you have 2 1/2 cups of sauce, about 15 minutes. Stir in the crystallized ginger, curry powder and five-spice powder.
2. You can offer the sauce either cold or warm.
3. For the Chinese five-spice powder, you will need 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds, 4 star anise and 1 teaspoon peppercorns. Put the peppercorns in a dry skillet, keep the pan moving over low to medium heat, and toast until their fragrance comes up, about 3 minutes. Use a blender or pepper mill to grind the toasted peppercorns with 4 star anise. Add the ground cloves, ground cinnamon and ground fennel seeds, then grind the mixture until it is very fine. Keep it in an airtight container.