Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas with Chili-Orange Oil

I had an action packed weekend.  I went white water rating, camping, and climbing.  We went climbing on a route called a via ferrata.  

It is a good way for unexperienced climbers to experience climbing.  They installed metal rungs and a steal cable along the entire length of the course.  I wore a harness, and I was attached to the cable for the duration of the course.

According to Wikipedia, these courses are common in the Alps, in particular Australia and Italy.  They were build in mountains in Italy during World War I to help troops move.  I'm generally afraid of heights, but I felt safe and secure climbing on this path. 

This recipe game from Martha Stewart.  The original recipe uses green beans instead of sugar snap peas.  

The ingredients are 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 wide strips orange zest, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, salt, pepper, 1 pound asparagus, 1 pound sugar snap peas, and 1/2 cup fresh basil.

I added the extra virgin olive oil, orange zest, and red pepper flakes into a saucepan.  I cooked this for three minutes to infuse the oil with orange and red pepper flakes.  After three minutes, I set it aside to let it cool.

I cooked the sugar snap peas and asparagus for three minutes in boiling, salted water.  I cooked the vegetables in batches.

I drained the vegetables once they were vibrant green and cooked.

I added a tablespoon of the chili oil into a sauce pan.  I added half the vegetables and stir-fried the vegetables for three minutes.  I added salt and pepper to taste.

I added half of the basil while the vegetables were cooking.  I set the stir-fried vegetables aside.

I added another tablespoon of oil and repeated the process with the remaining vegetables and basil.

I combined the stir-fried vegetables.  I drizzled on the remaining chili oil and squeezed in the two tablespoon of orange juice.

 These vegetables beautiful and vibrant green.  They were tender but firm.

 The flavor was good.  The chili and orange was a little too subtle for my taste.

I suggest adding more orange zest to the oil to increase the orange flavor.  I would also add a little more red chili flakes.

The dish had a bright, fresh taste.  It had a little heat.

The basil whistled and emitted a fragrant and alluring scent.

 It made a great spring side dish.  It was light and flavorful.

It was an appetizing and tasty side dish.