Oh my darling...

One of the few perks of the season are the crates of clementines that begin arriving at the market in early December.  However, even with my daily regimen of two clementines after lunch, it's still a challenge to finish a whole box before they go soft.  With six sorry looking specimens staring up at me, I quickly revised a recipe for Spicy Orange Chicken with Snow Peas and Red Pepper from my splattered old copy of All The Best Stir-Fries by Joie Warner.

Using the zest and the juice made for a bright tasting dish.  The chili paste added just enough heat to balance the sweetness.  A sunny dinner on one of the first truly cold nights of winter. 

Spicy Clementine Chicken

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1/4 inch strips

2 T water

2 T cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

4 T vegetable oil

1/2 c. fresh squeezed clementine juice

Finely grated zest of one clementine

4 tsp. sugar

4 tsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. chinese chili paste

1 T cornstarch

1/2 tsp. Japanese sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 T grated ginger

1/2 red pepper, seeded and cut into julienne

10 large snow peas, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise

     Combine chicken with water in a small bowl; thoroughly stir in cornstarch and salt, then 2 T of oil; set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours, covered in the refrigerator.

     Combine juice, zest, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili paste, cornstarch and sesame oil in a small bowl.

     Heat 1 T of oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.  When hot, add garlic, ginger, red pepper, and snow peas and toss for 1 minute; remove to a plate (be careful not to overcook snow peas!).  Add 1 T oil, add chicken, and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until opaque and cooked through.  Return vegetables to the pan, restir clementine-juice mixture and add, stirring until lightly glazed.  Serves 4.