Krewe of Hunters The Unseen (38 page)

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Zachary Chase. He took her hands and gazed down into her eyes. His voice was choked as he said, “Rose.” She stroked his cheek. “Zachary.”

“Oh,

Rose!”

Neither of them noticed as Kelsey joined Logan. Still gazing at each other, Rose and Zachary turned and walked toward the Alamo.

“Have they gone off into the light, do you think?” Kelsey asked.

“Maybe, and maybe they’ll stay around for a while.” He glanced down at her. “Rose was very happy, you know.

You found her grave, and the diamond, and you saw that she was given a fine funeral and buried next to Zachary. It was really lovely.”

“It was, wasn’t it? And Kat was so respectful when she opened the box of Rose’s bones and took out the diamond.

It’ll do wonders for the children in Haiti.” They’d all had quite a discussion about the diamond.

At first they’d thought they should leave it with Rose, but then decided there might be other fortune hunters who’d kill for the stone. So they’d decided it had to come out, and that it needed to go to a good cause. They’d all agreed it should be donated to a charity.

“Sierra has moved on,” Kelsey said. “She said goodbye to me that night, and she smiled, and I think I saw her wave.

Then she was gone.”

Logan looked in the direction of Zachary and Rose.

“That’s good,” he said. “Zachary and Rose, they might stay on for a bit. They’ve just found each other after a very IN PROCESS EDITION - JAN. 10, 2012

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long time. I don’t have all the answers.” He smiled at her.

“Neither of us does.”

“But we have some of them,” she said.

He nodded, still smiling. “Yes, we have some of them.

And by the way, ma’am, there’s far more to San Antonio than you’ve seen so far. I thought we could do a little sightseeing here, and then you could show me around Key West.”

“Oh?”

“We’ll have to head to Virginia for some training soon, and exchange our old badges for new ones. But I figured that since we’ll have a few days—now that it’s settled and the second Krewe will be Sean, Kat, Tyler, Jane and the two of us—we should enjoy some time in the sun, near the sea… . I want to go to Key West and see your home. What do you think?”

They were professionals, of course, and they always acted like professionals. They were standing in front of the Alamo, one of the most sacred shrines in the country.

But she had a feeling that all the ghosts of the Alamo and every one of her professional associates would approve.

She stepped closer and rose on tiptoe and kissed him.

“Sounds like a plan,” she said lightly. “And I can’t begin to tell you how many truly beautiful birds we have in the Keys.”

“I do love birds,” he told her, and hand in hand, much like Rose and Zachary before them, they ambled along the plaza, eyes only for each other.

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IN PROCESS EDITION - JAN. 10, 2012

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TEXAS RECIPES

To eat in Texas!

Chili con carne is the official dish of Texas. This isn’t just talk—it’s official. As designated by the House Concurrent Resolution Number 18 of the 65th Texas legislature during its regular session in 1977, chili con carne is it.

For Texas, chili is as historic as its wild frontiersmen and its fight for independence. The main ingredients—beef, suet, chili peppers and salt—were ground together and formed into bricks to be carried by men such as the Texas Rangers as they headed out to guard their borders (as vague and disputed as those borders often were!).

At the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, the San Antonio Chili Stand brought chili to fairgoers from across the country and beyond, and ever since, chili has been an American staple, especially loved throughout the South and West.

And of course people wrangle over the recipe! Any decent chili aficionado has his or her own approach to making the best chili around—so much so that when I asked friends about a chili recipe, my mind was reeling. But here, putting together what I’m told is the best of the best, is a sworn recipe for San Antonio’s finest chili.

In all my conversations, I was told that true Texas chili does not have tomatoes—hey, could those frontiersmen find a bunch of fresh tomatoes out on the wild plains? I guess not. So while I have a real get-down-and-cook recipe here and a quickie one, neither contains tomatoes or beans.

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The Best True Texas Chili

Ingredients

10 dried chili peppers, chopped (There are many kinds of chili peppers. These include anchos, pasilla, costeñas, guajillos and haba-nero, chiles de arbol. Mixing and matching can make for great chili.

Habanero are hotter, or more piquant.)
Dollop of suet (About two tablespoons. Can be replaced with a
touch of olive oil.)

½ cup of water

4 slices bacon

3 to 3½ lbs boneless Grade A beef chuck roast—cut into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup coffee

½ cup beer

1 tbsp cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Dash of cinnamon

½ tsp oregano

2 cans beef stock

In this recipe, the chili peppers themselves are king. In a skillet (cast iron, if possible) drop the chili peppers and then, as they start to heat, add just a touch of suet so they don’t burn. (If suet isn’t available or just doesn’t do it for you, you can add two tablespoons of olive oil.) Then turn off the heat, cover the chili peppers with half IN PROCESS EDITION - JAN. 10, 2012

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a cup of water (make sure they are covered) and let them soak for about half an hour.

In another pan, fry up the bacon. (Bacon was a commodity fairly available to the frontiersmen and could be dried or smoked and carried on the trail.) Remove the bacon, but leave the grease in the pot. Brown the meat, the onion and the garlic in the bacon grease.

(Gauge this carefully; if the bacon was too fatty, you’ll have greasy chili. About three tablespoons of grease is about right.) Crumble the bacon into the mixture, add the coffee, the beer, the spices and the beef stock, except for a half a cup.

Remove the chili peppers from their skillet, and puree them in a blender with the last half cup of the beef stock. Add the puree to the chili mixture, bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and let it all simmer—

stirring occasionally and adding more liquid when necessary—for five hours. Taste as you simmer—every cook will want a little more of this or that, and some Texans actually add just a touch of Mexican chocolate (or, hey, whatever is around) to their creation. Some add more onions, some a dash of chili powder in case they didn’t choose their chili peppers just right! However you choose to play with it, your base is there, and you can flavor to taste and perhaps add in some allspice or, if your taste buds are adventurous, go for it with another teaspoon of cayenne.

Chili may be garnished in many ways—with shredded cheese, scallions, croutons, bite-size pieces of corn bread, corn chip strips and sour cream.

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The Best True Texas
Quickie
Chili Ingredients:

3 to 3½ lbs boneless Grade A beef chuck roast—cut into 1-inch cubes 3 tbsp olive oil (Replaces suet here!)

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 to 4 tbsp flour

3 to 4 tbsp chili powder (Do you like it hot? Not as great as real chili peppers, but puts the chili in the chili.) 2 tsp ground cumin

1 bay leaf

2 cans beef broth

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Sauté the beef in the olive oil for a few minutes (on medium to medium-high heat), coating the beef rather than browning it. Add in the garlic, more or less to taste. Mix together the flour (if you like a thinner chili, two tablespoons; for a thick dish, four), chili powder and cumin; lower the heat to medium, or medium-low, and toss in the bay leaf for some flavor. (You can also add a sprinkle of oregano.) Add a can and a half of the beef broth, bring all to a boil, lower the heat, let simmer and add the salt and pepper. Let it all brew for about an hour and a half.

Or…leaving in the morning? Not home until night? Throw it into a Crock-Pot, and let all the ingredients simmer throughout the day.

Do you like other flavors in your chili? Not quite the purist? Add one chopped tomato and one small chopped onion.

Everyone has his or her own version of the best Texas chili. And, of course, that’s a great thing about chili—it’s the kind of dish made to be customized, and goes well with sweet corn bread, fresh green salads and, of course, a margarita or a good Tex-Mex beer!

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TO DRINK IN TEXAS!

History may have decided some of the most popular culinary tastes in Texas, as they tend to mix Mexican with American, or Tejano with Texian. And along that line, one of the area’s most popular drinks can certainly be found and enjoyed on either side of the border.

So, pull out the tequila and let’s get to it. Texans are known to love margaritas!

Now, simple margarita mix can be found in any liquor store. Pre-mixed cocktails with the liquor can be found, as well. But, hell, this is Texas! It’s the place to become a margarita connoisseur.

Start with…

Two jiggers tequila. (Good tequila is always better, and quite popular these days is the brand Patron. Then again, let’s face it, we’re
mixing, so pull out whatever you have.)
A half part Grand Marnier. (According to Texas friends, this is the
best. You may add triple sec, which is better known, but Grand Marnier makes the ultimate margarita.)
A half jigger fresh lime juice.

A half jigger fresh lemon juice.

A half jigger simple syrup.

A half jigger Limoncello. (Those in the know say that Limoncello—

also very popular in Italy!—adds the desired fruity flavor to the drink
without making it bitter.)

Rim glasses with coarse salt.

Mix ingredients well with ice and serve straight up or on the rocks.

Popular now, too, is the designer margarita. Strawberry, banana, blueberry, raspberry, mango! Add and subtract ingredients where you will, and as long as you stick with some good tequila, you’ll have IN PROCESS EDITION - JAN. 10, 2012

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yourself a refreshing drink. By the time you have a few refreshing drinks, you won’t even be worried about the salt and the calories!

If Margaritas seem too complicated, go for a Lone Star beer or pop the top on a Dos Equis.

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