Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.

Went to a vodka tasting a couple of weeks ago and they were offered as
snacks / palate cleansers along with other pickled goodies, smoked
salmon, and brown bread. I thought, "Yummy! Big fat capers, have to
look for them when I get home."

(Lest anyone wonders, they are the mature fruits (usually pickled) of
the caper bush, as opposed to the (much smaller) flower buds (usually
pickled) of the same bush.)

Different enough to make me want to drink martinis again, using these
instead of olives as garnish. And use them in salads, both meat and
green. Maybe even on pizza.

Any other suggestions for using them?

(Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
England).)

--
Silvar Beitel

Silvar Beitel wrote:
> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> Went to a vodka tasting a couple of weeks ago and they were offered as
> snacks / palate cleansers along with other pickled goodies, smoked
> salmon, and brown bread. I thought, "Yummy! Big fat capers, have to
> look for them when I get home."
>
> (Lest anyone wonders, they are the mature fruits (usually pickled) of
> the caper bush, as opposed to the (much smaller) flower buds (usually
> pickled) of the same bush.)
>
> Different enough to make me want to drink martinis again, using these
> instead of olives as garnish. And use them in salads, both meat and
> green. Maybe even on pizza.
>
> Any other suggestions for using them?
>
> (Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
> England).)
>
> --
> Silvar Beitel

Guess I should take the plunge.

I think you are somewhere west of me, and I have heard of power
outages farther west (and other places in Mass.) It's been pretty
windy for some hours now, and just as I was thinking it wasn't
that rainy, the rain started splatting down.

"Silvar Beitel" > wrote in message
...
> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> Went to a vodka tasting a couple of weeks ago and they were offered as
> snacks / palate cleansers along with other pickled goodies, smoked
> salmon, and brown bread. I thought, "Yummy! Big fat capers, have to
> look for them when I get home."
>
> (Lest anyone wonders, they are the mature fruits (usually pickled) of
> the caper bush, as opposed to the (much smaller) flower buds (usually
> pickled) of the same bush.)
>
> Different enough to make me want to drink martinis again, using these
> instead of olives as garnish. And use them in salads, both meat and
> green. Maybe even on pizza.
>
> Any other suggestions for using them?
>
> (Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
> England).)

I used them once in a recipe but can't remember what it was for. I want to
say egg salad.

On Oct 29, 2:20*pm, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> "Silvar Beitel" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> > RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> > Went to a vodka tasting a couple of weeks ago and they were offered as
> > snacks / palate cleansers along with other pickled goodies, smoked
> > salmon, and brown bread. *I thought, "Yummy! *Big fat capers, have to
> > look for them when I get home."
>
> > (Lest anyone wonders, they are the mature fruits (usually pickled) of
> > the caper bush, as opposed to the (much smaller) flower buds (usually
> > pickled) of the same bush.)
>
> > Different enough to make me want to drink martinis again, using these
> > instead of olives as garnish. *And use them in salads, both meat and
> > green. *Maybe even on pizza.
>
> > Any other suggestions for using them?
>
> > (Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
> > England).)
>
> *I used them once in a recipe but can't remember what it was for. *I want to
> say egg salad.

Feel free to do so.

On Oct 29, 1:29*pm, Silvar Beitel > wrote:
> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> Went to a vodka tasting a couple of weeks ago and they were offered as
> snacks / palate cleansers along with other pickled goodies, smoked
> salmon, and brown bread. *I thought, "Yummy! *Big fat capers, have to
> look for them when I get home."
>
> (Lest anyone wonders, they are the mature fruits (usually pickled) of
> the caper bush, as opposed to the (much smaller) flower buds (usually
> pickled) of the same bush.)
>
> Different enough to make me want to drink martinis again, using these
> instead of olives as garnish. *And use them in salads, both meat and
> green. *Maybe even on pizza.
>
> Any other suggestions for using them?
>
> (Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
> England).)
>
> --
> Silvar Beitel

Here's a bunch....and they look good too!!

http://www.recipebridge.com/r/caper-berries-recipes

On Oct 29, 3:29*pm, Silvar Beitel > wrote:
>
> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> Silvar Beitel
>
>
I've had them as part of a chicken dish that I can't remember the name
of but it certainly was delicious. Chicken piccata, maybe?

On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:29:54 -0700 (PDT), Silvar Beitel
> wrote:

> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> Went to a vodka tasting a couple of weeks ago and they were offered as
> snacks / palate cleansers along with other pickled goodies, smoked
> salmon, and brown bread. I thought, "Yummy! Big fat capers, have to
> look for them when I get home."
>
> (Lest anyone wonders, they are the mature fruits (usually pickled) of
> the caper bush, as opposed to the (much smaller) flower buds (usually
> pickled) of the same bush.)
>
> Different enough to make me want to drink martinis again, using these
> instead of olives as garnish. And use them in salads, both meat and
> green. Maybe even on pizza.
>
> Any other suggestions for using them?

Chicken Piccata may be an old saw, but it's still my favorite way to
use them.
>
> (Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
> England).)

Stay dry!

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

ImStillMags wrote:

>> (Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
>> England).)

> Here's a bunch....and they look good too!!
>
> http://www.recipebridge.com/r/caper-berries-recipes

They look like cucunci, the big capers from Eolian isles: I could go on
eating them for hours.
They are often used to garnish boiled cow tongue dishes, along with salsa
verde (which includes capers).
--
Non so che ceppa mettere in firma

On Oct 29, 5:55 pm, ImStillMags > wrote:
> On Oct 29, 1:29 pm, Silvar Beitel > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> > RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> > Went to a vodka tasting a couple of weeks ago and they were offered as
> > snacks / palate cleansers along with other pickled goodies, smoked
> > salmon, and brown bread. I thought, "Yummy! Big fat capers, have to
> > look for them when I get home."
>
> > (Lest anyone wonders, they are the mature fruits (usually pickled) of
> > the caper bush, as opposed to the (much smaller) flower buds (usually
> > pickled) of the same bush.)
>
> > Different enough to make me want to drink martinis again, using these
> > instead of olives as garnish. And use them in salads, both meat and
> > green. Maybe even on pizza.
>
> > Any other suggestions for using them?
>
> > (Something to post as Sandy sneaks into my neck of the woods (New
> > England).)
>
> > --
> > Silvar Beitel
>
> Here's a bunch....and they look good too!!
>
> http://www.recipebridge.com/r/caper-berries-recipes

Thanks. A number of those *do* look good! (All I need to do it find
a local source now!)

Thanks for the concern, Jean. Sandy was a wimp around here as I'm
sure you also discovered this morning. It's sunny and mild now. No
damage, no flooding, no power outages at all here (MA/NH border, away
from the coast). Picking up the broken branches in the yard will take
me less than an hour, none big enough to require chain-sawing.
Perhaps a little disappointing since we were really prepared for more
of a disaster :-)

Julie/Joan/sf: Capers/caperberries: They are different. Capers for
chicken piccata, caperberries for other dishes. ViLco understands.

See, e.g., http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-caperberries.htm

--
Silvar Beitel

On 10/30/2012 12:09 PM, Silvar Beitel wrote:

> Thanks for the concern, Jean. Sandy was a wimp around here as I'm
> sure you also discovered this morning. It's sunny and mild now. No
> damage, no flooding, no power outages at all here (MA/NH border, away
> from the coast). Picking up the broken branches in the yard will take
> me less than an hour, none big enough to require chain-sawing.
> Perhaps a little disappointing since we were really prepared for more
> of a disaster :-)

That is great news, I am glad you fared well during the storm. My
friend in Stoutsville, Ohio says it is snowing at her house. What crazy
weather we are having.

Becca

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:09:57 -0700 (PDT), Silvar Beitel
> wrote:

> Julie/Joan/sf: Capers/caperberries: They are different. Capers for
> chicken piccata, caperberries for other dishes. ViLco understands.
>
> See, e.g., http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-caperberries.htm

Thanks Silvar. I saw those on the internet recently but have never
seen anything like it in person and forgot they were called
caperberries. I'm so used to people coming to rfc and talking about
something I know by another name, that I wrongly assumed we were
talking about the same thing. Good luck with finding a local source
for your caperberries!

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

In article >, sf >
wrote:

> On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:09:57 -0700 (PDT), Silvar Beitel
> > wrote:
>
> > Julie/Joan/sf: Capers/caperberries: They are different. Capers for
> > chicken piccata, caperberries for other dishes. ViLco understands.
> >
> > See, e.g., http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-caperberries.htm
>
> Thanks Silvar. I saw those on the internet recently but have never
> seen anything like it in person and forgot they were called
> caperberries. I'm so used to people coming to rfc and talking about
> something I know by another name, that I wrongly assumed we were
> talking about the same thing. Good luck with finding a local source
> for your caperberries!

I had joked with someone that if capers are called non-pareils, I wondered what
a pareil was. Then one day on a periodic "find that ingredient" mystery tour we
went to a wholesale place and there they were. Laughed but shrugged...the jar
was too large to consider for an "experiment"

On Oct 30, 7:10 pm, "Malcom \"Mal\" Reynolds" <atlas-
> wrote:
> In article >, sf >
> wrote:
>
> > On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:09:57 -0700 (PDT), Silvar Beitel
> > > wrote:
>
> > > Julie/Joan/sf: Capers/caperberries: They are different. Capers for
> > > chicken piccata, caperberries for other dishes. ViLco understands.
>
> > > See, e.g.,http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-caperberries.htm
>
> > Thanks Silvar. I saw those on the internet recently but have never
> > seen anything like it in person and forgot they were called
> > caperberries. I'm so used to people coming to rfc and talking about
> > something I know by another name, that I wrongly assumed we were
> > talking about the same thing. Good luck with finding a local source
> > for your caperberries!
>
> I had joked with someone that if capers are called non-pareils, I wondered what
> a pareil was. Then one day on a periodic "find that ingredient" mystery tour we
> went to a wholesale place and there they were. Laughed but shrugged...the jar
> was too large to consider for an "experiment"

Heh.

Just to flesh this subject out a bit, here's more info, from the
Wikipedia article:

"Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows,
with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: Non-pareil (up to 7
mm), surfines (7–8 mm), capucines (8–9 mm), capotes (9–11 mm), fines
(11–13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm). If the caper bud is not picked, it
flowers and produces a fruit called a caper berry. The fruit can be
pickled and then served as a Greek mezze."

--
Silvar Beitel

On Oct 30, 5:10*pm, "Malcom \"Mal\" Reynolds" <atlas-
> wrote:

>
> I had joked with someone that if capers are called non-pareils, I wondered what
> a pareil was. Then one day on a periodic "find that ingredient" mystery tour we
> went to a wholesale place and there they were. Laughed but shrugged...the jar
> was too large to consider for an "experiment"

Capers (not caperberries) come in two sizes. There are the 'regular'
capers and then there are the nonpareils, which are the really small
ones. I like the regular size for puttanesca and the really small
ones for tartar sauce.

I have a couple of small jars in my pantry right now and one in the
fridge. There are quite a few things I make that I love them in.

wrote in message
...

On Oct 29, 3:29 pm, Silvar Beitel > wrote:
>
> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>
> Silvar Beitel
>
>
I've had them as part of a chicken dish that I can't remember the name
of but it certainly was delicious. Chicken piccata, maybe?



Those were most likely capers, not caperberries. Chicken and veal picatta
dishes call for capers in the sauce.

Jill

On Thu, 1 Nov 2012 14:25:18 -0400, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>wrote in message
...
>
>On Oct 29, 3:29 pm, Silvar Beitel > wrote:
>>
>> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to them on
>> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>>
>> Silvar Beitel
>>
>>
>I've had them as part of a chicken dish that I can't remember the name
>of but it certainly was delicious. Chicken piccata, maybe?
>
>Those were most likely capers, not caperberries. Chicken and veal picatta
>dishes call for capers in the sauce.
>
>Jill

With piccata they were probably beebleberries. lol

jmcquown wrote:
> wrote in message
> ...
>
>
> On Oct 29, 3:29 pm, Silvar Beitel > wrote:
>>
>> Where have these things been all my life? Many references to
>> them on
>> RFC over the years, but somehow I missed them.
>>
>> Silvar Beitel
>>
>>
> I've had them as part of a chicken dish that I can't remember the
> name
> of but it certainly was delicious. Chicken piccata, maybe?
>
>
>
> Those were most likely capers, not caperberries. Chicken and veal
> picatta dishes call for capers in the sauce.
>
> Jill

I remembered to get one caperberry off the olive bar tonight. It
was VERY strong. I think my daughter would like them, because she
loves salt. I prefer the normal nonpareil capers, which I love.

Victory!

Caperberries found and used:

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0595_1.jpg

Found: Whole Foods, Bedford MA
First use: Dry Martini (Better than olives! Salty but not oily.)

--
Silvar Beitel