Alas, Mr. Spikey does not like capers, so I use them only a couple of times per year in chicken piccata (he separates them out to the edge of his plate). But when he's deployed I'm free to use them whenever I want to! One of my most eccentric uses is as a wood-grilled pizza topping ... along with anchovies, bacon, and coarsely chopped raw garlic -- yes, as a topping!, a nasty habit I picked up while living in New Jersey. I also use them in fish dishes, soups, stews, stuffings, pasta, and casseroles.
I make a delicious tuna salad that has capers and sautéed mushrooms in it. The recipe comes from a meal I had decades ago, prepared and served to us by our lovely hostess in her home in Basel, Switzerland. Along with the tuna salad, she served big, crusty, slightly blackened rolls, the likes of which were nowhere to be found in the U.S. in those days.
Here's another one that uses a good amount of capers (Actually I add more capers than the recipe calls for): http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/06/pasta-and-fried-zucchini-salad/
Also you can roll them in cornstarch, fry to crispy and add to pasta dishes, yum.
Next time you chose a recipe where you add salt, consider adding capers instead. You get the benefits of salt, plus a complex bitter flavor as well. They bond particularly well with citrus, tomato, fish, eggplant, pasta, and many other things. One of my faves is pasta with sauteed onion,tomato, tuna and lots of capers. Practically makes itself and takes very little time.
I don’t think you need to use up capers because they are preserved and keep for a very long time. However, it you just want to get the jar out of the refrigerator, there are many French and Italian recipes for beef stew that call for hefty amounts of capers.
In adddition to the list Inpats gave, I also like to toss them into salads to add a bit of that unexpected "tart." As for them tasting of vinegar, it's easy to rinse them is cool running water and then dry, or even better, rinse them in milk. They taste like their old selves again.
also, Zuni's broccoli-cauliflower pasta, recapped here: http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2007/07/how_to_make_bro.html
The recipe suggests you sauté the broccoli and cauliflower, but I roast it in a hot oven on a big sheet pan instead, so I can make more of the vegetables (I increase the seasonings as well).
dinner at ten, that looks like a real winner. Thank you for posting the link! ;o)
P.S. I love your idea of roasting on a sheet pan. I look forward to trying this within the next week or so.
Hope you enjoy it, AntoniaJames! It's one of my favorite simple fall/winter dinners. I forgot to note, I also always add a generous squeeze of lemon after the broccoli & cauliflower are done cooking, to balance all those salty, pungent flavors with some acidity.
dinner at ten, adding lemon juice sounds like such a good idea. Thank you for the tip! We're always on the lookout for simple fall/winter dinners. This one certainly looks like a keeper. ;o)
This lemon-caper dressing: https://food52.com/recipes/16940-april-bloomfield-s-lemon-caper-dressing
Favorite ways of mine to use it are on Boston/butter lettuce with avocado, on torn or slivered radicchio with sunflower seeds.
Sub for or in addition to olives in parsley sauce, which I put on just about everything (seriously): https://food52.com/recipes/35467-pretty-versatile-parsley-sauce
In omelets.
In lemon vinaigrette with fresh thyme that's been finely chopped; let this one rest for a few hours, at least.
On pizza.
Finely chopped in deviled eggs.
In my riff on the classic "tonnato" sauce, which I slather on sliced turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving https://food52.com/recipes/30916-turkey-tonnato-sandwich (Note that caper brine is a critical ingredient here.)
In potato salad: https://food52.com/recipes/4763-fingerling-potatoes-remoulade
Coarsely chopped In salmon salad with a lot of finely chopped parsley (and use a few tablespoons of the caper brine to loosen the salad up)
Mixed with butter + cream cheese with a few mashed anchovies, for a caraway and paprika free Liptauer (what I call "Anchovy Cheese"): https://food52.com/recipes/8098-anchovy-cheese
Goodness, I could go on and on. ;o)
.
Two of the best Caesar salads I've had were in Vancouver, Canada. They both used capers instead of anchovies. I love anchovies in my Caesars, but it really was a nice change. A different kind of salty brightness. My favorite was made with salt packed capers, but the vinegar brined version was really good too.
Yes, I find that if one likes capers, it is fairly easy to find opportunities to include them in a wide variety of dishes.
This is basically the same with any given ingredient. If you really enjoy the basic ingredient, it is likely that you will not have to devise methods or concoct ideas to use the item. I buy a bunch of potatoes or onions (both of which I love). I have one left. Do I need to "figure out a way" to use the last one? Nope.
The only time I'm motivated to use something up is if it is at risk of spoiling.
That's simply not the case with things like capers, olives, anchovies, miso paste, etc.
I prefer the salt-cured capers myself; the ones in brine mostly taste like vinegar.
That said, I tend to use them as an accompaniment/flavor addition to Mediterranean dishes, rather than to put them front and center, much like I treat salt-cured anchovies or olives. I usually end up using a fair amount when I make tapenade.
I've enjoyed deep-fried capers as a garnish to fried fish (sardines, anchovies).
Since they last for a really long time, I have zero motivation to finish them up. No reason to find a way to use them; it'll happen in time. Not a big deal.
26 Comments
Thanks.
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/06/pasta-and-fried-zucchini-salad/
Also you can roll them in cornstarch, fry to crispy and add to pasta dishes, yum.
The recipe suggests you sauté the broccoli and cauliflower, but I roast it in a hot oven on a big sheet pan instead, so I can make more of the vegetables (I increase the seasonings as well).
P.S. I love your idea of roasting on a sheet pan. I look forward to trying this within the next week or so.
Favorite ways of mine to use it are on Boston/butter lettuce with avocado, on torn or slivered radicchio with sunflower seeds.
Voted the Best Reply!
In omelets.
In lemon vinaigrette with fresh thyme that's been finely chopped; let this one rest for a few hours, at least.
On pizza.
Finely chopped in deviled eggs.
In my riff on the classic "tonnato" sauce, which I slather on sliced turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving https://food52.com/recipes/30916-turkey-tonnato-sandwich (Note that caper brine is a critical ingredient here.)
In potato salad: https://food52.com/recipes/4763-fingerling-potatoes-remoulade
Coarsely chopped In salmon salad with a lot of finely chopped parsley (and use a few tablespoons of the caper brine to loosen the salad up)
Mixed with butter + cream cheese with a few mashed anchovies, for a caraway and paprika free Liptauer (what I call "Anchovy Cheese"): https://food52.com/recipes/8098-anchovy-cheese
Goodness, I could go on and on. ;o)
.
This is basically the same with any given ingredient. If you really enjoy the basic ingredient, it is likely that you will not have to devise methods or concoct ideas to use the item. I buy a bunch of potatoes or onions (both of which I love). I have one left. Do I need to "figure out a way" to use the last one? Nope.
The only time I'm motivated to use something up is if it is at risk of spoiling.
That's simply not the case with things like capers, olives, anchovies, miso paste, etc.
That said, I tend to use them as an accompaniment/flavor addition to Mediterranean dishes, rather than to put them front and center, much like I treat salt-cured anchovies or olives. I usually end up using a fair amount when I make tapenade.
I've enjoyed deep-fried capers as a garnish to fried fish (sardines, anchovies).
Since they last for a really long time, I have zero motivation to finish them up. No reason to find a way to use them; it'll happen in time. Not a big deal.