So, DH & I wondered into my favorite

Italian market. I rarely get there & since DH was with me I picked up some stuff. -that's a long story on why I picked it up just because he was with me-. So I grabbed some cans of San Marino tomatoes & some other stuff & we're walking out & I realize I'm out of capers. I grab an itty bitty bottle & I don't get out my glasses. I get home & realize the bottle was 9 bucks. Not only that, the directions say I'm suppose to soak them in wine vinegar for an hour, rinse in cold water, then squeeze out the excess water. Well. That's all I can say.

So, anyone have a great idea on what I should use these capers in?

:rofl:

Chicken breasts picatta. I usually pound the chicken thin and sautee very quickly (in a pan where they won't be crowded or do in batches). Take them out of the pan, cover with foil loosely or do something else to retain heat. Return the pan to the fire and put in a little chicken broth and some lemon juice. Reduce while stirring up the brown bits on the bottom. Toss in the capers, and whisk in some butter a bit at a time. It makes a bubbly sort of sauce that's not really thick but not melted butter, either. Either return the chicken to the pan to heat or pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Some parseley would go well in there, too. So would roasted garlic, I imagine. Not enough time to cook the garlic in the sauce unless, maybe, it's chopped very fine or pureed.

On edit: I haven't done that for an age. I need to get some capers.

I love capers in tuna or salmon salad & always use them for tartar sauce. But, since I spent (or DH spent) all this money, I wanted a recipe that would showcase 9 bucks worth of capers.

Thank you!

:hi:

You could put some wine in there, too.

...... off the coast of North Africa and who's name escapes me cuz I'm old and forgetful.

Yup. Super Primo .... packed in salt. These are to run of the mill capers what Box-O-Wine is to a Lafitte Rothschild.

A recipe to showcase them would be hard to come by. No one does sauteed stuffed capers a la Ritz any more, sadly. I think Escoffier was the last guy to even try. :)

Here's a recipe that makes nice use of them in the sauce .....

Two whole fish, cut into filets and skinned. A bream or even a snapper would do nicely. We get red bream here and its good. Green Tail also works nicely. In a pinch, talapia will also do, but its a bit too firm for my taste.

Anyway, get a brown paper bag and toss in some flour, salt and pepper. Add the fish and shake it up to coat it. (Like shake'n'bake).

Put half olive oil and half butter in a frying pan. Heat it up. Add the fish (formerly) skin side down and saute until the down side is nicely golden (3-4 minutes). Turn carefully and brown the other side.

Turn the fish out onto a warmed platter, skin side down, and hold hot.

Don't wipe the pan. You want all that fond. Add more olive oil if need be and add a some drained capers (let's say 3 - 4 tbsp). Add an equal amount of pine nuts. Saute until the pine nuts start to go golden. Add some white wine (or whine if ya wanna). Maybe a 1/4 cup or so. Add some chopped fresh parsley, basil and oregano, to taste. (Note, no garlic in this one).

Allow the wine to reduce and the flavors to meld. Remove from the fire and add a pat or three of butter and stir it in. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper levels to taste.

Pour the sauce over the fish.

Eat.

Take bows.

Be sure to go gah-gah over the taste of those ******wonderful******* capers.

Ask DH if he liked the capers. No matter what he says, swoon over them. Near faints, if you can pull it off, will ensure the sale.

yick. I like them fine in pesto, but not on top. I would have to substitute sliced almonds.

DH didn't have his glasses out either. If I can manage to pull off the sticker without breaking a nail he'll never ever know.

How the hell did Escoffier stuff them? These are about the size of a tiny, new pea. I thought the Duchess of Windsor's recipe for stuffed grapes was impossible, but stuffed capers? wowzer

I know of no dish that is capers at its soul.

That would be sorta like a parsley dish.

Did you make up this whole dish, too.?

I'll never talk to you again.

If you don't care for pine nuts, use Sultanas (white raisens) instead. The sweet of the raisens plays nicely against the piquancy of the capers.

You could also use capers and roasted red peppers.

Pine nuts and Sultanas

The combinations are fun. But I'd limit it to two. Have fun with it.

I have a huge bag I got at Costco. I could use them in something like this.

3 or 4 cooked and cubed new potatoes
8 to 10 stuffed green olives chopped
rosemary to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons parsley
2 cloves of crushed garlic
3 canned anchovies, mashed (optional) - i've never used them for this recipe)
1 tablespoon chopped capers
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
a 3 pound chicken

put all the herbs, olives and capers into a bowl and mix up
add the potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat
stuff the chicken with the potatoes and bake at 375 for 70 to 80 minutes
i usually rub the outside of the chicken with the remains of the herbs and oil mixture that's left in the bowl.

i omit the anchovies. sometimes i add some lemon juice to the mixture. also, i sometimes bake a chicken that's cut up and surround the pieces with the flavored potatoes or just bake the potatoes by themselves.

this is a 'frugal gourmet' recipe from his first book. it's a chicken recipe i fall back on often. the fragrance of the flavorings mixture is fabulous.

I'll try that one.

Thanks.

:hi:

although in restaurants I've had beef carpaccio (thinly shaved beef) with them that was equally yummy, drizzled with olive oil sometimes, but generally I like lox with capers.

I think I'll do that as an appetizer.

thank you.

and just as good.