Vineyard Enigma (17 page)

“You’ll be missed. But won’t Crompton’s people be annoyed?”

“Crompton is a professional man who will know a loss when he encounters one.”

“But won’t he be rather miffed at you?”

“No doubt. I’ll be watching my back for a while. But then, I always watch my back. You and Zeolinda must come to Africa. My wife and I would be pleased to be your hosts. Our children are almost the same ages as yours, so your little ones, too, would have companions eager to introduce them to Zimbabwe.”

“You’re married?”

“To a woman as lovely as your wife. I’m more eager to see her than I can say. I increasingly dislike the travels my work requires. I envy the life you lead here, always close to your family. You’re a fortunate man.”

“Yes.”

I got home in time for supper, and afterward went with Zee and Quinn up to the balcony with coffee and cognac.

Quinn was happy because now the only thing he didn’t have was a final, official decision about who killed Brownington.

Off to our right, in the southern sky, the stars that glittered at us also glittered every night over Africa. Beneath them, half a world away, a wife was waiting for the return of her husband, and her children were wishing their father were home.

Eight hundred years earlier those same stars had shone down upon the empire of Monomotapa, where, within towering walls, an artisan in stone was carving a stele adorned with a crocodile and topped with an eagle. A thousand years in the future, long after current empires, including America, had crumbled to dust, those stars would be unchanged.

“Look!” said Zee, pointing. “There! It’s a satellite!”

The tiny light moved steadily across the heavens, a man-made star moving at incredible speed. It was a marvel to match the towers of Great Zimbabwe. We watched it until it disappeared into the depths of the timeless, uncaring, and ethereally beautiful sky.

J.W. adapted this recipe from a Spanish cookbook he found at a yard sale.

Boil the chicken and strip the meat from the bones. Cut the meat into bite-sized chunks. Save the hot water for cooking the rice.

Brown the sausages in some of the olive oil in a
large
frying pan and cut into bite-sized chunks.

In remaining olive oil, sauté the onion, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers in the same pan.

Return the sausages to the pan and add the chicken pieces and spices.

Stir in the rice and pour in the hot water.

Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes, then add artichoke hearts, peas, and shrimp.

Cook another 10 minutes, until rice is tender, and serve.

Note: There are as many kinds of paella as there are paella cooks. Substitutions for the above ingredients can be made freely. For instance, Phil Craig lately has been using hot turkey sausage in lieu of pork sausage because his wife, Shirl, doesn’t eat pork.

The general idea is to cook all of the ingredients in one dish until they’re done but not overdone.

Saffron is very expensive. You can substitute turmeric.

One of the main differences between these chicken enchiladas and others is that J.W. uses dessert crepes instead of tortillas for wrappers.

CREPES

Combine: 2 beaten eggs, 2/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup water, ½ tsp. vanilla

Combine: ¾ cup flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, and 2 tbsp. powdered sugar

Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and mix until most of the lumps are gone. Place a 5- to 6-inch frying pan or crepe pan over moderate heat, add a bit of oil, and pour in just enough crepe mix to make a thin cake. Cook, turning once. Repeat. Set crepes aside.

FILLING

Slice 2 large onions and fry in 2 tbsp. butter and a bit of water until tender. Remove, drain, and mix with 2 cups of diced, cooked, skinned chicken, ½ cup chopped pimento, 8 oz. diced cream cheese, and a few shakes of hot pepper sauce. Salt to taste. (Note: Cream cheese is much easier to dice if it’s frozen.)

Spoon about 1/3 cup of filling into each crepe. Roll and place crepes, seam side down, in a baking dish. Brush with milk or cream and sprinkle with 2 cups grated Jack cheese.

Bake in 375° oven for 20–25 minutes.

Garnish, if you wish, with pitted ripe olives, radishes, and coriander.

(Makes about 12 crepes)

½
cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup skim milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of salt

Caramelize ¼ cup sugar in a small, heavy skillet and quickly pour into an 8 ½–inch circular baking pan, tilting pan to coat bottom as much as possible.

Mix eggs, milk, remaining ¼ cup sugar, vanilla, and salt, and pour mixture into the pan.

Set round pan in larger baking pan, fill larger pan to a depth of 1 inch with hot water, bake in a 325° oven for 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the flan.

Cool pan on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate until cold. Loosen flan from the sides of the pan, invert onto a platter, and serve.

(Makes 8 servings)