Having learned what capers are, and applying the product when preparing dishes, you can not only significantly diversify the home menu, but significantly improve its quality indicators. Thanks to the addition of the component, the taste of many culinary compositions becomes simply masterpiece.
What is capers and how do they look?
Comprehending the subtleties of cooking, each landlady sooner or later encounters recipes, where capers are one of the main or additional components. Having an idea of what these capers are and what they look like, it will only be necessary to stock up the component by buying it in the store or, if possible, picking up the product collected with your own hand.
- Capers are nothing else than the unbroken flower buds of the spiny bush of the caper, which grows and yields the most abundant harvest in the Mediterranean countries: Italy, Turkey, Greece, as well as in Asia, the Caucasus and the Crimea.
- In its raw form, such undiscovered buds are not suitable for food, so they are pre-marinated. In the process of salting capers fully disclose their qualities and get rid of the characteristic bitterness inherent in fresh fruits.
- Having tried what tastes of capers, it immediately becomes clear their beneficial effect on the characteristics of dishes: juicy, slightly islanded, fragrant buds with a light, pungent, acidic note maximally enrich the taste palette of dishes.
How useful are capers?
Capers, whose useful properties are impressive, will not only improve the taste of culinary dishes, but will also become a valuable supplement that will increase their nutritional characteristics a hundredfold.
- Capers are rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, group B, a number of minerals. They contain enough protein, fats, carbohydrates, essential oils, glycosides and other important elements. The caloric content of the product is only 23 kcal per 100 g.
- Contained in capers flavonol quercetin improves skin condition, relieves inflammation, helps with allergies. The same component prevents the formation of cancer cells in the body and maintains the normal structure of DNA.
Where do they add capers?
Adding to the usual dishes capers, recipes trivial become exquisite and unusual, acquiring originality and eccentricity. The natural component acts on culinary compositions in the likeness of sodium glutamate, enhancing the taste of the base products and at the same time increasing the sensitivity of the taste buds. About that, with what they eat capers, in the following paragraphs.
- Capers are added in the sliced form in dishes from meat, fish, sauces or to hot on the first.
- Marinated buds can be added to pasta, pizza or make them more spicy any sandwich.
- Slightly pre-soaked in water salty capers, they can be added to the salad "Olivier", complement them with a delicious hodgepodge and even put in a pie filling.
How to marinate capers?
If you are a resident of the southern latitudes or you were lucky enough to become the owner of flower buds of a caper in another way, learn how to prepare capers and make a spicy, valuable supplement with your own hand. It is important for the spicy billet to select quality specimens of a neat shape, without damage.
Ingredients:
- fresh capers - 0,5 kg;
- garlic - 2-3 teeth;
- lemon - 0,5 pieces;
- onion - 1 piece;
- apple cider vinegar - 1/3 of a bottle;
- cloves - 3 pcs .;
- sweet pepper - 3 pcs .;
- salt - 1 teaspoon.
Preparation
- Capers are washed, dried and placed in a sterile jar.
- Boil the vinegar with chopped onion, chopped garlic, cut into slices of lemon, adding spices and salt.
- After boiling, remove the marinade from the fire, cool and pour into a jar with buds.
- Cover the container with a sterile lid and put it in the cold.
- In a month the capers will be ready.
The most delicious salad with capers - recipe
The most useful dishes with capers are those that include a component without its thermal processing. One of these compositions will be a salad. You can prepare it by using simple recommendations from the following recipe or by connecting a fantasy, create your own unique, most delicious version of an appetizing snack.
Ingredients:
- capers - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- chicken fillet - 300 g;
- boiled eggs - 2 pieces;
- walnuts - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- apple cider vinegar - 1 teaspoon;
- sour cream or yogurt - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- salt, pepper, spices.
Preparation
- Boil the fillets in water with salt and spices.
- Dice the chicken, eggs, chop the nuts.
- Mix the ingredients in a salad bowl, adding capers.
- Pour salad with capers dressing from sour cream and vinegar, salt and pepper it to taste.
Sauce with capers to meat
One of the easiest ways to use capers for food is to cook all kinds of sauces with this ingredient. Finely chopped juicy pickled flower buds in the complement to meat will skillfully emphasize the taste of the prepared dish and help maximize it to reveal itself.
Ingredients:
- capers - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- mustard - 2 teaspoons;
- lemon - 0,5 pieces;
- parsley - 0.5 beam;
- garlic - 2 teeth;
- mayonnaise - 100 g.
Preparation
- Mix mayonnaise with lemon juice and mustard.
- Finely chop the capers, parsley and garlic, add to the mixture with mayonnaise, mix.
- After 20-30 minutes, the sauce with capers will be infused and ready for serving.
Pizza with capers
Baking pizza with capers is possible in various variations, using ham or other sausage products, boiled meat, mushrooms, various vegetables and other products as a base component for the filling. Next is a version with cheese and cottage cheese. Thanks to pickled buds, the snack acquires a special charm.
Ingredients:
- dough for pizza - 500 g;
- capers - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- cottage cheese is low-fat - 1 glass;
- hard cheese - 400 g;
- green onions - 1 bunch;
- salad onion - 1 piece;
- fresh tomatoes - 700-800 g;
- salt pepper.
Preparation
- Mix cottage cheese with grated cheese, add garlic, chopped green onions.
- Salt mass, pepper, distribute on a batter rolled on a baking sheet.
- After 15 minutes, sprinkle the surface of the dish with olive oil, sent to the oven.
- Bake pizza for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees.
Solyanka with capers - recipe
Any meat solyanka with capers gets a special, incomparable taste and unique exquisite piquancy. It is important to add the ingredient at the end of cooking - so the dish will have time to soak up the spicy flavors of the additive and its irreplaceable valuable properties will be practically fully preserved.
Ingredients:
- beef - 500 g;
- smoked products - 500 g;
- pickled cucumbers - 200 g;
- tomato paste - 5 tbsp. spoons;
- capers - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- onions - 150 g;
- oil - 50 ml;
- olives, greens, lemon, sour cream - to taste;
- salt, pepper, laurel - to taste.
Preparation
- Boil the meat, cut into a broth.
- Pass the onion in oil, add tomato, cucumbers, add 10 minutes.
- Lay in a saucepan chopped smoked meat, fry, flavor the food to taste, adding salt, pepper, laurel, cook for 15 minutes.
- Throw lemon, olives, capers, remove the container from the fire.
- Serve with a sour cream and greens.
Turkey with potatoes and capers
Recipes with pickled capers always give an excellent result and allow a fresh look at the taste of familiar products. In this case, the additive in the multicomponent sauce will transform the composition from turkey and potato meat, which can be served in boiled slices or by making a classical puree.
Ingredients:
- turkey fillet - 300 g;
- potatoes - 500 g;
- capers - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
- onion - 100 g;
- butter - 4 tbsp. spoons;
- skim milk - ¼ cup;
- sauce chicken demiglas - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- lemon - 1 piece;
- salt, pepper, thyme.
Preparation
- Fillet of turkey is sliced, salted, peppered, fried in oil on both sides until red and ready.
- In the same pan fry the chopped onion, adding a lemon zest.
- Pour in milk, add demiglas, weigh for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in the sauce capers, thyme, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
- Boil the potatoes.
- Serve turkey with potatoes, generously flavored with sauce with capers.
Sauce "Caesar" with anchovies and capers - recipe
Among the numerous variations of the addition to the salad favorite, Caesar's sauce with anchovies and capers is one of the most refined and original. Instead of chicken yolks, you can use yolks quail eggs, and sweet mustard to replace the more acute. The extra flavor will add extra oil to the sauce if you add it with the refined oil.
Ingredients:
- egg yolks - 3 pieces;
- sweet mustard - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
- capers and anchovies - 40 g;
- garlic - 4 teeth;
- olive refined oil - 150 ml;
- lemon juice - 1.5 tbsp. spoons;
- Worcestersky sauce - 1 teaspoon.
Preparation
- Whisk the yolks with the addition of mustard and lemon juice for 7 minutes.
- Pour a little olive oil, whisk another 5 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic, anchovies and capers, mix a Worcestership sauce.
Pasta with tuna and capers
Elegant pasta with capers and tomatoes, supplemented with slices of canned tuna, will be an ideal solution for an easy and at the same time nutritious dinner or dinner. It prepares the dish for a few minutes, but produces a real sensation even among demanding and demanding eaters.
Ingredients:
- paste - 0,5 kg;
- capers - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
- tomatoes - 400 g;
- tuna canned - 2 cans;
- onion - 1 piece;
- garlic - 2 teeth;
- red pepper - ¼ tsp;
- olive oil - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
- salt, pepper, herbs.
Preparation
- Onion is sauted onion and garlic.
- Add chopped tomatoes, capers, season with pepper and stew for several minutes until thick.
- Put tuna into the fry without brine, warm for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Boil the pasta and serve with a sauce of tuna, capers and tomatoes, sprinkled with herbs.
How can I replace capers?
Little to understand what capers are and skillfully apply them in cooking. It happens, it happens that at the most inopportune moment the right ingredient for cooking your favorite dish was not available. Then the knowledge will come to the rescue of what to replace the capers, so that the food will not lose its taste, and no one will notice the substitution.
- The most simple and affordable alternative will be pickled gherkins, which need to be finely chopped.
- Olives or olives can become a good substitute for capers.