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Book Reviews
A
Cook's Notebook: Fried Capers
By Ali Berlow
WCAI-WNAN
NPR Stations, a service of WGBH Radio
Broadcast on July 14, 2004
I lock the
door, unplug the phone and start frying capers - those mysterious little
green things are the flower buds off a shrub called Capparis spinosa.
First I drain off the juice off and towel them dry. This is a delicate
operation because they're fragile. Then I heat up some olive oil in the
smallest iron skillet I own. Once the oil is slippery hot - the buds go
in.
As far as I know, this is John's idea. John Ash is the author of a new
cookbook that I'm smitten with called Cooking One on One. Frying capers
is one of the steps in his 'grilled beef tagliata with rosemary, capers
and lemons'. It's actually a simple dish despite the fried bud detail.
I've cooked it least three times in the last week or so. John Ash has
me doing things I never thought I'd do.
I like capers just fine as they are - out of the jar - slightly bitter,
pickled pops of flavor and texture, drops of green color. To me they're
like those special sprinkley decorations you put on top of cupcakes -
a nice touch, superfluous, but I'd miss them if they weren't there.
John Ash says to fry the capers until they begin to open, once they're
lightly browned and crisp. He says that they take on a different flavor
and bite after they're fried. I want more than anything to be able taste
what John Ash says I'll taste. I'm intrigued with this detail and the
possibility of discerning the subtleties of a caper. It's obsessive I
know and honestly, this dish is perfectly fine without frying the capers,
so in a way, it's somewhat difficult to defend. But John Ash doesn't need
to explain why he does it - he's a master chef, teacher, food writer and
restaurateur. He's even been on television.
His cookbook is attractive and feels good in your hands - the heft of
the hardcover, the quality paper and a well-designed page layout. The
simple lessons in cooking techniques are understandable and useful. It's
easy to fall in love with the book for the seductive photographs alone
- food porn, if you will. But it's the recipes like mussels baked with
an Asian pesto of basil, cilantro, and mint - or the carrot, orange and
ginger soup, and the arugula salad with melon, blueberry and goat cheese
that keep me coming back to John.
The spine of my copy is already broken and cracked open to page 142 -
'beef brisket braised in coffee'. I liked this recipe before I even made
it because of its header - that bit of information the author gives you
at the top of a recipe. It opens with a description of his grandmother
never throwing anything away - including old coffee too bitter to drink
and it goes from there - how he developed this brisket with her in mind
and he explains how the acids and tannins in coffee enhance this modest
cut of beef. I don't think John Ash would mind the greasy smudges I left
on the page, the few fennel seeds that remain lodged in the crease of
the binding or the cider vinegar stains - all testaments to a hard loved
recipe in his book.
There's more recipes I want to try like the roasted lemon salsa, or the
crisp tofu and eggplant with miso glaze and for dessert - sweet fritters
with red wine and star anise sauce. But first I've got to finish the beef
tagliata by making a balsamic reduction and seasoning the olive oil with
sliced garlic, fresh rosemary leaves and cracked black pepper. My family
is going to have to fend for themselves and go out for breakfast. I'm
out of milk, eggs, bread and cereal.
~Ali Berlow is a writer, living and cooking on Martha's
Vineyard
