How to Use Capers in Recipes

For the longest time, I didn't know what a caper was. All I knew was those little dark green pea-size edibles tasted real good, and I couldn't get enough of them. If you don't know what a caper is (no - it's not a prank), a caper is the bud of a flowering shrub called Capparis spinosa. It's hard to believe, but just one tiny caper is packed with a long list of vitamins and minerals. This turns any recipe into a healthy one when you include capers. What's more, capers are versatile and can be used in many different dishes. Below is a sampling of the ways in which capers can be used.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Throw some capers in your pasta. Capers taste especially good with fish. If you sauté chopped garlic in olive oil and mix in the drained spaghetti and canned anchovies, you'll have a dish that's packed with flavor.

2. Add capers to your salad. Toss up a medley of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and capers. Pour Italian dressing over your salad.

3. Create caponata with capers. Caponata is an Italian appetizer that contains ingredients such as cooked eggplant, celery, black and green olives, tomato sauce, and onions. Add the capers, salt and pepper, and you have a delicious spread that tastes superb on toast.

4. Sprinkle chopped capers on garlic bread. Garlic bread is tasty on its own, but the addition of capers will give a unique twist to your garlic bread.

Resources

• Nutrition Facts about Capers, canned