“Tiger, tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry!”

— William Blake

February, for such a short month, is packed full of special days; Ground Hog Day, Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays, Presidents’ Day, Valentine’s Day, Ash Wednesday, Get A Different Name Day, White T-Shirt Day and Umbrella Day, to name just a few.

And Saturday, Feb. 14, besides being Valentine’s Day, is also the beginning of the Chinese New Year.

The Chinese Zodiacal calendar is based on 12-year cycles, with each of its

12 animals represented in a never-changing pattern, beginning with Ox and ending with Rat. Tiger is the second animal in the series, so if you were born sometime between the end of January in 1938 and early to mid-February in 1939, you’re probably a Tiger. Simply add 12 years to either of those dates and if that’s your birth year, behold the Tiger.

According to Chinese lore, Tiger is one of the most fearsome of all the signs of the Chinese Zodiac. (Dragon is another). If you happen to have a Tiger in your life, you probably don’t need to be told that he/she is unpredictable, quarrelsome, hot-headed, courageous, demanding, strong, determined, fearless, and above all, independent. Don’t expect a Tiger to be where you think he should be and don’t count on your Tiger to do the expected thing in any situation.

Ah, but having a Tiger around does have its benefits, difficult as he/she may be to live with. Tigers have a very strong sense of territory and will protect their domain to the death. No Tiger will turn tail and run when threatened, nor fail to do battle for those he or she loves. Those of us who have Tigers as friends know that we can count on their help in any emergency, although we may have to reciprocate tenfold if our Tiger needs something from us.

Tigers have a way of biting off more than they can chew, getting involved in major projects that most people wouldn’t consider taking on. That’s when Tiger calls on friends for assistance, and you may find yourself up to your elbows in alligators trying to help out your Tiger.

Lovable? Yes. Charming? Yes.

Honorable, hard-working, warm-hearted, intelligent, creative? Yes, all of that and more. It’s virtually impossible not to feel drawn to someone so full of energy, so driven and so sure of himself. But friendship with a Tiger is demanding at best, dangerous at worst. Never take a Tiger for granted or fail to give him the attention he craves. Apathy is not a word Tigers recognize.

With a Tiger in your life, things will never be dull, but it’s a wise idea to keep in mind the young lady from Niger, who smiled as she rode out on a Tiger. They came back from the ride with the lady inside and a smile on the face of the Tiger. This is your year to roar, dear Tiger, and we who are not so endowed with your ferocious intensity will do our best to stay out of your way.

Happy New Year to all you Tigers, and Happy Valentine’s Day to all of us.

RECIPES

It’s interesting to think about recipes that might be fitting for a combined Valentine’s Day/Chinese New Year celebration. What would you feed to a Tiger for Valentine’s Day, I wonder? Well, oranges, symbols of prosperity and luck, must always be a part of a Chinese New Year menu, so how about Mandarin Chicken?

MANDARIN CHICKEN

1 ½ cups uncooked long grain rice

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 cups orange juice

1 cup chicken broth

½ t. salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

Sprinkling of paprika

Minced fresh parsley or cilantro

Spread rice in a greased shallow 3 qt. baking dish. Top with the chicken and mushrooms. Mix together the orange juice and broth and pour evenly over all. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45-50 min., or until the chicken juices run clear and rice is tender. Garnish with oranges, sprinkle with a bit of paprika and minced parsley. Serves 4.

Spring rolls and egg rolls are sure to be present on any Chinese New Year table; these are typical, as well as light and delicious.

EGG ROLLS WITH SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

1/2 lb. ground pork

3/4 cup shredded cabbage

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

4 green onions, thinly sliced

3 T. vegetable oil

1/2 cup small “salad” shrimp, chopped

1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped

1/2 cup bean sprouts, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 T. soy sauce

1 t. sugar

8 refrigerated egg roll wrappers

Oil for frying

For the sauce:

1 cup sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 t. seasoned salt

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar, or white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

In a large skillet, cook pork over med. heat until no longer pink; drain. Remove pork with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same skillet, stir-fry the cabbage, celery and onions in oil until crisp tender. Add shrimp, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, garlic, soy, sugar and reserved pork. Stir-fry 4 min. longer or until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.

Position the wrappers with one corner facing you. Spoon 1/3 cup of the pork mixture on the bottom third of each wrapper. Fold a bottom corner over filling, fold sides over filling toward center. Moisten top corner with water; roll up tightly to seal. In an electric skillet (if you have one, otherwise stove top), heat 1-inch of oil to 375 degrees. Fry the egg rolls for 1-2 min. on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

For the sauce, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan; gradually add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 2 min., or until thickened. Serve hot with the egg rolls. Makes 8 egg rolls.

If it’s Valentine’s Day, there must be chocolate, deep, dark and intense, whether Tigers like it or not.

GINGER CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1/2 cup flour

1 t. ground ginger

1/8 t. salt

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup unsalted butter, diced, at room temp.

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

For the ganache: 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 T. unsalted butter, at room temp.

2 T. whipping cream

Generously butter an 8×8-inch metal baking pan and dust with flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and have rack in center position.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, ginger and salt. Stir chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until melted and smooth. Turn off heat and let chocolate stand over the water.

With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until the mixture thickens and falls in a ribbon when the beaters are lifted, about 5 min.; beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, blending well after each. Gradually add the warm chocolate mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until top is set and a tester inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 min. Cool completely in pan on a rack.

To make ganache: Whisk all ingredients in a small saucepan over med.-low heat until melted and smooth. Pour evenly over the brownies and chill the brownies until the ganache is set. Cut into 16 squares.