The Slow-Cooked Sentence

Denise’s curiosity over oranges sent me searching, but I came home with only the common clementine. That’s okay. My weekend holds a promise of sunshine and mint tea, cake and friends and clementines in ginger syrup. I cannot peel an orange without thinking of Gary Soto’s young man, just 12 years old, and his girl, so I leave you with a segment of his poem and a small recipe. What will your weekend hold?

“Oranges”
By Gary Soto

… I took my girl’s hand
In mine for two blocks,
Then released it to let
Her unwrap the chocolate.
I peeled my orange
That was so bright against
The gray of December
That, from some distance,
Someone might have thought
I was making a fire in my hands.

Clementines in ginger syrup
Adapted from Gourmet magazine, February 2008
Serves 4

In a sauce pan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup thinly sliced and peeled ginger, 4 green cardamom pods and 3 whole star anise to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered for another 15 minutes. Strain syrup and chill until cold, at least 2 hours. Cut the peel from six clementines with a sharp knife, then cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place them in a bowl. Pour chilled syrup over the fruit and return to fridge for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.