Homemade DELICIOUS and EASY Mincemeat

Ingredients: 2 lunchbox-size boxes of raisins, one apple, a bit of lemon and orange peel, the pulp of 1/3 to 1/2 an orange, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp each cloves, ginger, cinnamon and allspice, 1 tsp cornstarch, tablespoon of brandy or whiskey.

You can double or triple this recipe. The amount I made would be good for two people.

Adding some walnuts, pecans or toasted almonds at the same time as the brandy (about one-quarter cup finely chopped) would probably be a great addition, and something I will do next time.

Some people also use pears, apricots, Grand Marnier in place of brandy, vegetable suet for a fatty texture, butter, candied fruit. I MIGHT try a bit of candied ginger next time, but this was very sweet as is, so I would go easy on the candied fruit. And it was really delicious without any fat, so I don't think that's necessary at all. Grand Marnier would give a lot of orange flavor, so if I added that I would omit the orange peel and pulp. Some people add sugar, but NOT NECESSARY!!! Very sweet and delicious as is!!!

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OK, so I decided to try making my own mincemeat this year, and guess what? It tasted almost EXACTLY like the store-bought mincemeat. Only no preservatives, no suet (so a LOT less fat and maybe a quarter the calories), no sugar, no flavor enhancers. And SO EASY!!!

I took two small boxes of raisins (the kind for lunch boxes) and poured a half cup or so of boiling water over them and let them soak for a couple of hours.

Then I shredded one whole apple. Wash the apple, cut in half, remove core and stem, leave skin on and grate it cut side on the grater. Very simple.

Put apple and raisins on low heat, including raisin water. Add 1/4 Teaspoon each of cloves, ginger, cinnamon and allspice. (I didn't actually measure, but just threw some in--and I'm pretty sure it was about 1/4 tsp each)

Then grate about 1/4 lemon rind and 1/4 orange rind (wash well first--organic is best). I used the large holes on the grater, but next time I will use the smaller ones. For the orange, I continued grating about 1/3 way through the orange to get the orange pulp. Throw the orange pulp, orange rind and lemon rind in with the raisins and apples.

I added about a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar--VERY important for the flavor, I think.

Let this all simmer on very low heat for about 20 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of brandy or whiskey, and continue to simmer another 10 minutes. Liquor not required, but it does contribute a LOT to the taste!

Finally, if you want to thicken this, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with some 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl and then combine with mincemeat. Stir slowly and the sauce should thicken up nicely.

Unbelievably EASY and so so delicious. AND, you can make in advance, and let it sit in the fridge for a few days to age. Will be even better.