2 posts tagged “capers”

As always, Julie's Kitchen, is keeping it seasonal. I found these beautiful heads of Romanesco at the Weiser Family Farms booth. I'm totally hooked on their nutty sweetness. A quick roasting is usually my favorite preparation for our little fractal friends, but I was feeling like trying something new.


I remembered a Sicilian Potato Gratin recipe from a recent issue of Bon Appetit where the gratin was studded with capers. What a yummy idea so I decided to do a rendition of it with romanesco instead of potatoes.


I layered my romanesco florets and pecorino shavings into a buttered casserole dish and baked it at 375 degrees until crispy golden brown on top. I plated it on top of some creamy soft polenta and at that point I suddenly realized that I had absent-mindedly left out my capers. Doh! To improvise, I ended up using the briny capers as garnish along with some chopped parsley. This dish has so many flavors going on. It tastes fresh and as my friend Kiel put it last night, "It tastes like an instant shot of vitamins." Food that's good for you can taste good too.

For a tangy sauce that's sure to tantalize your taste buds, look no further. This spicy tomato caper sauce would pair well with any type of fish/meat/vegetable. B picked up a few halibut fillets on his way home as I worked on preparing the sauce. That way dinner would be ready ASAP. Trust me, when my blood sugar reaches alarmingly low levels, I transform into a complete grump of a monster. B knows that and for that he's a huge advocate of teamwork.
Tomatoes and capers are a classic combination. Here, I've freshened it up with the addition of lemon zest, parsley and scallions. Red pepper flakes add just the right amount of heat. Olives would be nice too, but for these improv dinners, we just work with what we have on hand.
Once B got home, I salt and peppered the fillets and cooked them in the sauce for about 15 minutes or so (time will depend on the thickness of your fillet). I knew it was ready when the halibut began to flake ever so slightly. I take it out at that point since the residual heat continues to cook the fish. I paired it with a simple green salad dressed with a spritz of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. I don't know when dressings got so complicated (damn you Hidden Valley Ranch, Wish-bone Spray Dressing, etc). Let's bring it back down a few notches. One calorie a spray... no thank you. Excuse the digression. My deeply hidden aggression for bottled dressings is something I'm just coming to terms with myself. Admitting I have a problem is the first step, isn't it? :)

I've got a little surprise brewing in my crock pot. Can you guess what it is? I'll give you a hint. It started with the French press.