March 1989 Issue

Features

Search and Destroy
An employee’s vandalism by computer might have gone unpunished but for a rookie prosecutor out to test a new law.

Buddy Maedgen Is Bugged!
The saga of a man and his helpful insects illustrates the age-old battle between visionaries and bureaucrats.

Forgery, Texas Style
As Texans’ pride of place rose with the price of oil, collectors scrambled for the few documents of the Texas Revolution. Suddenly there seemed to be plenty to go around. But no one thought to ask why.

The Bush League
In George Bush’s Cabinet, Texans are crawling out of the woodwork. Read about their pasts, their pets, their secret passions.

The Second Coming
Twenty-five years ago, Texans hoped LBJ would lead them into the promised land. They have the same hopes for the new president, but George Bush is making no promises.

Songs of Innocence
In Joe Scruggs’s music Everymom evicts under-the-bed monsters, Everykid remembers on Monday morning the fifteen things he needs for school that day, and Everybody delights in Scruggs’s corny but sensitive portrayal of childhood.
Columns
Days in the Country, Nights on the Town
New fiction takes the reader on forays into Louisiana swamps, excursions into smoke-filled Austin honky-tonks, and down life’s highway with a lady trucker
Remembering the Sabbath
In the fifties a Baptist minister’s daughters were expected to be models of piety—clean, demure, virginal, and impervious to the lure of secular pleasures like makeup and TV.
The Boys of Spring
You probably think that the main reason to go to the Texas Rangers’ Florida training camp is to watch baseball. You’re probably wrong.
Miscellany
State Secrets
Food for thought: agriculture commissioner Jim Hightower may get plowed under; Coastal tries to cut the golden parachute; calling all cars in El Paso.
Roar of the Crowd
Getting bummed out on 1988; separating church and state; facing difficult decisions.
Reporter
Captain Homeless
Austin’s homeless find a home sweet home on the lake; Fort Worth’s impresario of white gospel puts on a no-sweat show; Dallas’ Comet crashes; and Houston’s Orange Show marks a decade of—well, orange.
Domain Supplement
Strawberries and Oranges With Raspberry Sauce
Fruit3 pints fresh strawberries, rinsed, dried, and sliced lengthwise 4 large navel oranges, peeled and cut into pithless sections 1 cup black grapes, cut in half and seededSauce2 ten-ounce packages frozen raspberries or 3 half-pints fresh raspberries 1 to 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or to taste 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
Galette
Dough2 envelopes dry yeast1/2 cup warm water7 tablespoons sugar1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind2 large eggs6 tablespoons sweet unsalted butter2 tablespoons brandy3 1/2 cups (or more) all-purpose flourTopping6 tablespoons sweet unsalted butter6 tablespoons sugarSprinkle yeast over warm water in large mixing bowl, and add 1 tablespoon sugar. Leave for 5
Roulade of Spinach, Crab, and Mushrooms
White Sauce and Roulade Mixture6 large eggs 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 3 cups whole milk, heated 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup Emmenthaler cheese (or 1/4 cup each Emmenthaler and Parmesan)Filling4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup minced shallots 1/2
Picante Salsa Roja
4 plump tomatillos, husks removed8 to 10 chiles colorados4 cloves garlic, peeledSalt, to taste1/2 onion, finely choppedFresh cilantro, choppedHeat a comal or griddle, and roast tomatillos, turning frequently, until slightly charred and rather soft. Remove. Quickly toast chiles on comal for about 15 seconds on both sides (do not burn
The Kids Are All Right
How every cook can concoct the classic Southwestern flavor of cabrito.
Cabrito Luckett
A particularly impressive recipe that is easy to prepare in your own kitchen involves slivers of garlic and whole comino seeds.1/2 cabrito, cut in quarters 4 or more large cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers 2 teaspoons whole comino (cumin) seeds New Mexico chile powder Dried oregano Salt, to
Tarte du Paradis
Vanilla Genoise and Berries6 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch salt 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup Grand Marnier Raspberry or currant jam Assorted fresh spring berriesBeat first four ingredients together with electric mixer on high until batter falls in ribbon