caper
Before delving into the official topic of the post, I would like to thank Ilva of Lucullian Delights and Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen for mentioning briciole in the context of Blog Day: grazie infinite per la squisita gentilezza.
And now a few capers about capers. I have always liked capperi, tiny green bubbles that burst in your mouth and tingle your taste buds. Adding a tablespoon or two of capers to a dish enlivens it. One of my mother's aunts, who lived outside Split, in Croatia, would gather capers and preserve them, pickled, in lovely jars: a true labor of love.
Last night we watched the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding (highly recommended), in which the heroine's father claims that the root of any word is Greek. He can make his claim about caper, which comes from the Greek kapparis. The non-vegetable caper, on the other hand, comes from capriole.
Capperi! is an expression of surprise in Italy (good gracious!). Many years ago there was a TV advertisement of a brand of pitted olives that said Capperi, che olive! It sounds funny in Italian, trust me.
I usually buy capers in bulk and have them always ready to be used to make, for example, pâté di olive, which is my husband's favorite spread. The ingredients I use, blended until the desired smoothness is achieved, are: chopped onion (about 2 tablespoons), pitted kalamata olives (1 cup), capers (2 tablespoons), dried thyme (half a teaspoon) or fresh thyme leaves (1 teaspoon), balsamic vinegar and olive oil (1 tablespoon each). I am not sure how long it can last in the fridge, because in our fridge it never lasts very long.
This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, a food blogging event started almost two years ago by blogger extraordinaire Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, hosted this week by the founder herself. Here's the roundup of WHB #98.
Hear me pronounce the words and expressions on the cappero audio file [mp3] or go to the cappero audio page for more listening options.
