Spicy Tangerine Beef

While I love Guy Fieri as a host on Diners, Drive-In's & Dives, I just can't get my arms wrapped around his cooking show. I know his dishes are hugely popular and I can see the flavors are bold and innovative but........

I think he's high maintenance, uses a ton of ingredients (which always need big time prep) and that sometimes makes his recipes hard to follow. I find if I have to read a recipe over 3 times to understand the procedures, I might as well dump it from the menu.

I don't mind a challenge but I have julienned, chopped, minced, steamed, fried and sauteed my way through thousands of vegetables over the 50 years I have been cooking. Temp me with a new technique and I will try it. Make we work extra hard and I just can't jump in enthusiastically.

I saw a recipe a while back for a tangerine glaze and for some reason it stayed in the back of my memory. I have never used tangerine juice and I know that you can only get them seasonally.

Saturday I found boxes of tangerines at my store. I really didn't need a whole box so we asked a produce clerk and she directed us to the organic section where I could buy as many as I wanted. I bought 4.

Then I bought a flank steak. I was all set. Then this morning I realized I did not have a vegetable and it was pouring cats. After driving for 5 hours yesterday and not sleeping much the night before, I really just wanted to hang in my sweats today.
When I opened the freezer (with my eyes closed because I didn't want to see all the stuff tumbling out) I took out the steak and right there on a shelf was a package of Whole Foods frozen spinach.

Now I know spinach isn't a traditional Chinese vegetable but with some red peppers, a tablespoon of plum sauce and some red pepper flakes, I think it will go well with the tangerine beef. Spinach can be slightly sour sometimes, especially frozen.

A cup of Jasmine rice will simmer in a can of lite coconut milk and make the perfect foil for the sauce, which by the way, is so good it will make you roll your eyes and lick the spoon.

Oh, man....Guy might change my mind about making more of his recipes if they are as good as this one is. The Nudge is going to love this dish. He has a passion for clementines and this is right up there with the tangerine juice.

Spicy Tangerine Beef
adapted from The Food Network
serves 4-6

Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 pound flank steak or tri-tip, cut in thin strips on the bias (this works best if the steak is slightly frozen or almost defrosted, depending on what condition the meat was at before you started)
* 2 tablespoons dry sherry
* 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 1 tablespoon chili sauce
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
* 3 tablespoons canola oil
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
* 3 scallions, chopped
* 1/4 tangerine, zested
* 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions
In a resealable plastic bag combine the soy sauce and cornstarch and mix well. Add beef, cover, and let marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Whisk together the sherry, hoisin, honey, chili sauce, soy sauce, and tangerine juice until completely combined.

In large pan or wok, heat oil on high. Add the ginger and beef and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add sauce mixture and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat until sauce thickens. Serve on warm platter, garnish with scallions, tangerine zest and sesame seeds.

Review: This dish was absolutely Da Bomb. I have to admit, this and the Test Kitchen's Orange Chicken have got to be...hands down...the 2 best home cooked Chinese-Style dishes I have made. My Kung Pao comes in a close third. I imagine this recipe would work well with chicken also.