Capri (Capers)

The Caper Bush thrives in hot, rocky environments such as Sicily. The plant grows naturally all over the landscape here and grows directly in the rocks. 

From May-July capers are ready to be picked. What we know as capers are actually the buds of this flowering plant. Capers are pickled in salt or a salt and vinegar solution. They are deliciously salty and have a slightly acidic and slightly spicy taste.

 Three stages of capers- the baby bud, the medium sized bud ready to flower and the beginning of the flower opening. 

  A flowering caper with other buds ready to be picked. Capers can range in color from bright green to deep purple and in size from a piece of rice to a large pea. The best color and size depends on your personal preference. 

The beautiful caper flower. 

After flowering, the caper berry develops. It is basically the fruit of the caper plant and can also be harvested, pickled and eaten. 

We spent 3 hours a day finding and picking wild capers. We would heavily salt them in the morning and evening, tossing them all together to be sure each caper was receiving the salty solution. 

A range of salted capers. From Left to Right... salted for 1 day, salted for 4-5 days, salted for 2 weeks. Capers are an important part of Sicilian cuisine and along with olives, often provide the salty component to their delicious foods. 

I love capers any way you give them to me! But my favorite preparation is also the simplest- salted capers, drizzled with robust Sicilian olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice on a slice of bread. 

Another great southern Italian recipe to try with capers ...

(all measurements are approximations- so experiment to your own taste)

Spaghetti con Tonno
3-4 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Small White Onion, sliced
2 each Bay Leaves
1 C Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 C Kalamata Olives
1/4 C Capers
2 cans Tuna, broken up in to large chunks
1/4 C Parsley, chopped fine, to garnish
100-125g Spaghetti per person

1. Cook spaghetti to al dente in salted water (8-11 minutes depending on the brand).
2. While spaghetti is cooking, in a separate pan, heat oil, onions and bay leaves until aromatic.
3. Add in tomatoes, olives, capers and tuna and lightly simmer until all are just heated.
4. Drain pasta and immediately add to "sauce", tossing well, allowing the flavors to meld and the pasta to absorb some of the flavor and liquid to finish cooking.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley.

Buon Appetito!