My Ode to Capers

I remember when we purchased this jar of capers from our local Costco. I thought there was no way in the world we would be able to use them all. I mean, I like capers but a whole quart of them? Certainly that's not possible, right? I will never doubt my wife again.





We started by looking up all kinds of recipes that use capers as a central component. We found lots of dishes with salmon, obviously. But we make a lot of chicken so we started with Chicken Piccata. This is a fantastic recipe that I will use over and over.

But Andrea branched out and started experimenting. She put them in what is now our favorite potato salad. The capers add a nice tangy, bitter and mix well with the slight amount of cayenne she adds to make this dish unlike any other potato salad but still familiar. Love it...


Chicken Piccata

1 Whole Chicken
6 Tablespoons Butter
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
2/3 Cup Chicken Stock
1/3 Cup Capers

Pasta

1.25 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Semolina
3 Eggs


I took a whole chicken and quartered it (learn how here) to decrease the cooking time and provide uniform results. I then roasted those pieces at 300 degrees to cook them through but not dry them out.

While that was cooking I made the pasta. I have done this by hand but I find it is a bit easier in my kitchen aid. Add the one cup of all purpose and one cup of semolina (in a little volcano if you're making it by hand) and then add the eggs. As the kitchen aid is working I may add up to an additional 1/4 cup of all purpose, slowly, depending on how wet or dry the dough is. When it begins to really resist I wrap it up and set it aside for at least 20 minutes.

When the chicken was cooked through but not overly brown I took it out and finished it in the pan. I added 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and browned the breast meat. Then added 2 more tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and browned the hind quarters. Once the meat was out I added the chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Then I added the lemon, capers and any remaining olive oil. I reduced this slightly and added the remainder of the butter just prior to serving to give the sauce a nice sheen.

Cook the pasta as the sauce is reducing. Fresh pasta cooks in under a minute. Toss with sauce but keep some sauce aside for drizzling over the chicken. Serve the chicken over the bed of pasta and enjoy.


Note...
Next time I would make a hair less pasta. (Or a hairless pasta?) When making it by hand I always tend to make too much. Reducing the pasta by a third would probably bring the proportions in line.