CAPERS

I love capers. if i had to choose only one pickle (and i love things pickled), for the rest of my life, it would be the caper.

The caper is the unopened bud of a flower, as shown. usually they are preserved in salt and marked "non-pareil". large capers are less common, and used for things like appetizers and cocktails. i have had them once, and ate the whole jar plain. you can also fry them in oil until crispy, sounds good but haven't tried it yet.

More commonly, you will find little tiny capers, about the size of a peppercorn. these are the onle i am talking about today. Usually, you find them in a little tiny jar for a lot of cash, but Wal-Mart and Winco Foods have them wayyyyyyyy cheaper. i mean like, 6 dollars at safeway, 1.59 at Wallyworld.

Capers go well with any kind of fish. i love them with salmon espectially, and moreso with smoked salmon. here are a few recipes and uses.

1. add them to a chop salad, cobb salad, or egg salad.
2. sprinkle them on a homemade pizza with cheese, tomatoes and anchovies (anchovies optional)
3. fry them until crispy and add to butter along with a little garlic for a flavored butter, alternately, add to mayonnaise for a sandwich spread.

recipe 1. MY ALL TIME FAVORITE CAPER USE. also the first introduction i had, and where i fell in love...with capers.

Lox Sandwich

2 slices lox
2 tbsp chream cheese
1 tbsp capers
2 slices tomato
2 slices red onion (optional)
1 bagel, toasted

make an open faced bagel sandwich, splitting the ingredients evenly. in this order (from the bottom) bagel, cheese, capers, tomato, onion. press ingredents down slightly so capers dont roll off. i have made this into a pizza with decent results too.

Tomato Caper Sauce

prepare a standard fresh tomato sauce. chop 1/4 onion, 1 clove garlic, and three tomatoes. saute the onion in a little oil until soft. add the garlic and 2 tbsp capers plus a little brine from the jar, when aromatic add the tomatoes. simmer until slightly soft, or whatever consistency you choose. add herbs at the end if you wish. serve with fish, shrimp, or alone, preferably with pasta.

Garlic Caper Butter sauce

melt 2 tbsp butter on medium heat (to avoid burning), skim the foam off the top to clarify. add two chopped green onion and soften. add garlic and capers. add salt and pepper to taste. add herbs of your choosing. serve over firm white fish. add two anchovies for more flavor if you wish, but omit salt.

more later, i am sure.