Capers

[james]

I guess this really isn't a pizza ingredient posting (does anybody have a good caper pizza recipe?), but here are a couple of photos of a caper plant in our stone wall. Capers naturalize here, and you see them almost wild in walls in older cities.

Capers are a major part of puttanesca and they dress up a range of dressings, sauces and vegetable dishes. We have had them cured in brine and salt cured -- and have had various friends give us homemade jars, but I've never done it myself. I tried to grow a few plants in California, but I couldn't get them to work in hot Sonoma.

Anybody have a favorite caper recipe you want to share?

It's a good-looking plant. Of course stone walls help.
James

[redbricknick]

My mum has a great pickling method, ill get her to pas it on.. In Cyprus, they pickle the shoots of the caper plant too.. It is a treasured treat around our place.. They have thorns on them, which maces it an interesting eating adventure.. I am currently pickling some water shoots from the grapevines in the back yard.. During summer pruning at home, I'd snack on them all the time. Never seen them pickled though.. Those flowers and seed pods (caperberries) are some tasty grubbins too..

[Richard]

Base of tomato sauce, sprinkle with dry oregano, capers , chopped kalamata olives, and top with mozzarella.

I prefer dry salt cured capers, soaked for about 20 minutes and rinsed