A Hot Pepper (and Garlic) Epiphany: Pan Roasting

Recipes for salsa, pesto and bruschetta get a new twist thanks to a technique I learned about recently for pan roasting peppers and garlic in a small cast iron pan on the range-top.

Credit for this goes to Rick Bayless, as mentioned in his book "Mexican Everyday"

The first question you might ask is "why?" What's the benefit? It both adds something and takes something away. Pan-roasting takes some of the heat out of the chili and some of the bitterness out of the garlic.  What you gain is a bit of smoke, color and texture.

It is pretty simple and quick.  Simply put, take a small pan, place it on medium or hotter heat on top of the stove.  I use a spray or paper towel to apply the smallest amount of oil to the pan.  Then, place whole jalapeno or Serrano chiles along side unpeeled individual garlic cloves in the pan.  Heat the garlic for about 10 minutes and the chillies for about 15 minutes, or until they are black and blistered on all sides. The garlic cloves can then be peeled after they've been seared and the stems should be removed before use. The peppers can be frozen and used later. 

The recipe I really liked was for fire-roasted salsa, including cilantro, diced fire-roasted tomatoes (I bought a 15 ounce can), a bit of lime juice, a small diced onion, salt, ground pepper, three pan-roasted garlic cloves and two (or even one) roasted Serrano chili.  By using a food processor to combine the items to the desired consistency, you get salsa that's much better than what you get in a jar.  Be careful with the amount of chili-induced heat.  I love spicy food but have found that other folks aren't as tolerant of too many Scoville units.  One to two roasted Serranos were enough. And if you find you need to add heat, you can always turn to your favorite hot sauce to season to taste.

Of course, you can always heat to the grill to do the pan roasting, but this method is quick and easy and only takes a small amount of space on the range-top. And given our recent heat wave, standing in the sun was not on the top of my to-do list.

Since my initial trial, I've used one or two of these pan roasted items for Huevos Rancheros,  Bruschetta (with roasted tomatoes and garlic) and pesto (roasted garlic).

Since the Rick Bayless cookbook was the inspiration for this, I'd obviously recommend you pick up a copy.

What Really Happened When The Supreme Court Decision On Health Care Was Announced and How Journalists Responded

The Supreme Court's 2012 decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred as "Obamacare", will be studied by historians and legal experts for years.  Not only was it a watershed moment in politics and for the law as well, it turned out to be a dramatic day for the practice of journalism.  The latter is worth investigating, particularly for those of us either working in news, or those who are interested in knowing more about what happens behind-the-scenes.

As is widely known by now, there were some notable mistakes made in the initial reporting of the complicated decision. 

One of the best, in-depth treatments of how the coverage was managed has been produced by the respected SCOTUSblog. The blog was followed closely for its own coverage of the decision, as you can see from the following link. The account runs more than 7,000 words.

Not only does this very well-detailed account go into what was happening with reporters and others working the story, it looks inside the inner workings of the White House and the court itself.  The event may also have been important to affirming the value of Internet-only journalism at a time when newspapers and other outlets are continuing to struggle with the business challenges of the digital transition. 

Here's the detailed entry, titled "We're getting wildly differing assessments".

A Forrest Gump Moment During Iran Contra in 1986

As a reporter, you never know how things are going to turn out when covering an event or story.

From time to time, you get a front row seat to history, or a small piece of it. That's what happened in 1986 when President Reagan tapped then Senator John Tower of Texas to be among those investigating the Iran Contra Affair through the Tower Commission.

This was the story of the day, at the time. And once he was named, journalists needed to gather reaction from Tower himself. That day, Tower was in Dallas and I was sent out with an AP photographer.  He gave a brief statement and I filed for radio and print. The way it worked out, that photographer got this shot of Tower, and I just happened to be in it.  The photo was on the front page of The New York Times, one of the Dallas papers and, I suspect, a number of others.  I'm the guy in the trench coat to the right. (click photo at the left to enlarge New York Times photo).

Tower himself would die in a plane crash in 1991.

As if to bring this full-circle, I hosted another then-member of the Tower Commission, former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft for a National Press Club Luncheon in 2011.  By that time, Iran Contra didn't come up, but we had a full discussion of issues involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and terrorism.  (Photo below courtesy of Noel St. John)

Here's a link to the video of the NPC Luncheon.

Talking Heads and Soundbites -- 26 Years and Still Going Strong

Years ago, in the midst of the punk and alternative rock eras, one had no idea that some of the lyrics splashing around would find resonance a generation or two later. 

"You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?"

So a few grey hairs later, I'm reminded of the song "Once In A Lifetime" by the Talking Heads, which referred to the notion that one could essentially wake up realizing that a lot of time had passed.
Such is the case as I reflect on the fact that it was 26 years ago that I reported for work for the first time at the AP Radio outpost in Dallas. I had packed all I owned into a two-seater Ford EXP with no air conditioning for the move from Buffalo. (Air conditioning wasn't a must in Buffalo, New York). I drove to stay with my mother for a few days in my hometown of Coffeyville, Kansas, before making the sharp turn south to the "Big D".

It was an exciting time. I truly appreciated the tremendous opportunity I was given, although sad to leave my friends behind in Buffalo, where I'd worked for the previous four years for WEBR and WBEN. In Dallas, I was anchoring for the Texas AP Radio Network and providing reports for the national network.  I would work with tremendously talented and kind colleagues led by the late Brad Krohn, as well as Amanda Barnett and Jim Ribble.  They helped me to embrace the technology and demanding work flow. Amanda and Jim are still in the industry doing great things in Atlanta.

Back then, we were using reel-to-reel tape, cart machines and a proprietary computer workstation to get our work done. That was as the digital transition was just beginning, before most people were using personal computers and cellular phones were heavy lunch bucket devices with no Internet connection.

A year later I would be moving to Washington, where I've continued to work for the AP, mostly focused on business and the economy.  Since then, I've been blessed in more ways than I could have ever expected, thanks to my wife Jeanne and son Christopher, other family members as well as my friends and colleagues.   Alongside radio and video, social media has been added to the media mix I  think about.  And users of media have sat down at the table to help decide what we'll be working on during any given day.

By the way, I didn't replace that small car with no air conditioning until immediately after my arrival in Washington.  That was a lot of driving to afternoon news conferences with the windows down around the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  

So, as I listen to the music of the day, admittedly less now than back in the Talking Heads era, I can't help but wonder what pithy lyric might find predictive resonance down the road.

Better Words Needed!

Back when I was a kid my grandmother referred to every refrigerator as a "Frigidaire". I didn't understand it because the impact of the brand name was lost on me. In this way, she was a creature of habit. Her usage of the term reflected the fact the brand was the first major commercially available product, which was widely used.  Of course, competition including other brand names eventually overtook the marketplace, but she and many other Americans never quite got around to updating their vocabulary.

We find ourselves similarly challenged now during a time of rapid technological change, and it may not occur to us that we use terms that are literally outdated.  The problem is that we have trouble coming up with better replacements.

Examples? Do you say you "type" on a keyboard?  But, in fact, you haven't used a typewriter in decades, if ever.  Similarly, some of my colleagues in journalism will continue to refer to "taping" an interview, even though the analog tape-based technology hasn't been used for some time. Is that a "film" you are watching? Well, maybe it is, but it might be all digital.

As a half-hearted attempt to get it right, I might be guilty myself and have heard other folks say they "DVR'd" something, or used the recording capability of their cable set-top box to capture a program for later viewing.  Seems like we should be able to do better than that with the word selection. But we're still working on it.

Can you think of other examples?  What other terms might be at risk?
Language tends to be a living and breathing entity. But there are cases where the words fail to keep pace with the evolving times because we are thinking about our past habits.

Our Two Part Video Project -- Challenges Confronting Young Job Seekers

Today's college graduates, who entered school when the financial crisis hit its zenith, face complex challenges. These include a tough job market and a mountain of student debt. Here are parts 1 and 2 of the video effort. They are companion pieces to a 10-part radio series, which aired on AP Radio. A big thank you to my New York colleague Luke Sheridan.


Part 1 -- Overview: (YouTube link below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXMYdWM8fAw&list=PL3BFDF96115D41804&index=2&feature=plpp_video

Part 2 -- Student debt: (YouTube link below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY6HkUBOhWk&list=PL3BFDF96115D41804&feature=mh_lolz

Paying Attention -- Being Focused on the World Around Us

I haven't posted many links on this blog, but this is a remarkable essay.  At a time when our behavior is being transformed by technology, we all need to give considerable thought to the negative implications of those changes.  Have you ever been in public watching a parent ignoring their child because they're focused on their mobile device? And what do these habits say about us? This is a quick read and quite thought-provoking. Although it is from the Harvard Business Review, it could just as well be delivered at a homily at Sunday mass.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/06/what_captures_your_attention_c.html?awid=8429786022698583094-3271