Capers are a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine.

When was the last time you used a new and different ingredient in your cooking?  What’s holding you back from trying something new?

Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. (Lev. 24:2: NIV)

Today’s recipe is an olive tapenade.  Tapenade is a spread consisting of olives, capers, and olive oil.  It can often times contain anchovies as well.  Mine doesn’t.  Tapenade is usually eaten as an hors d’oeuvre, spread on gourmet breads such as toasted baguette.  I use whole wheat pita bread that I toast and cut into triangles.  Tapenade’s ingredient base is olives.  Black olives are most commonly used.  I used a combination of black, Kalamata and green olives that I bought at an “olive bar” in a grocery store near our home.  I like the mixed combination.  BTW, pitting the olives was…well…the pits.  You can either use your thumbs or a good, sharp paring knife to cut the olive away from the pit.

Olive oil and capers are also found in tapenade.  Various flavorings are also added such as garlic, herbs, and lemon juice, depending on the region of the world.  So, just what are capers besides some tiny little things in glass jars found in the gourmet section?

Capers are the pickled buds from the Capparis spinosa plant, a perennial spiny shrub found in the Mediterranean region.  The buds, when ready to pick, are a dark olive green and about the size of a kernel of corn.  Once picked, they are pickled in salt, or a salt and vinegar solution. Intense flavor is developed, as mustard oil is released from each caper bud. This enzymatic reaction also leads to the formation of rutin, (a powerful anti-oxidant) often seen as crystallized white spots on the surfaces of individual caper buds.

So, if you’ve never used or bought capers before, don’t be intimidated.  I  even found organic capers when I did a search online.  The Santa Barbara Olive Company offers high quality products (http://www.sbolive.com/default.aspx).  I’ve purchased their olives before and was very pleased with the product.  The capers I used are also from that company and I located them in one of our local health food stores.

So, make today or this evening special for someone you love and enjoy some olive tapenade together.

Prayer Power
Father, You are such a loving and giving Heavenly Father.  We continue to be so blessed by Your goodness to us.  We pray blessings on all of our readers this day!

Link of the Day
Olive Tapenade

Blessings on you as you experiment with trying a new food.