The Quepos Bridge Club plays at 12 noon every Tuesday at Dos Locos Restaurant.
Pasta with Capers & Anchovies
by Bruce Zabov
Okay, we’re doing Pasta with Capers and Anchovies today. Most people are pretty easy about eating capers but anchovies seem to separate din
ers into those who like them and those who don’t — vehemently usually. I happen to be one of those who like the assertive accents they bring to pizza and pasta dishes.
This recipe is in a different sort of category. The anchovies totally disappear in the short cooking they undergo, leaving behind nothing more than a certain unidentifiable “something” in the flavor of the finished dish, an undertone that accents the tastes of the other ingredients while remaining anonymous in itself. Even if you’re one of those who doesn’t typically like anchovies, this recipe is worth at least a try.
The vegetables go in with the pasta and cook along with it. Drain together.
You can use any type or shape of pasta you prefer, but somehow my preference has remained with the thin spaghetti or angel hair suggested in the original recipe when I encountered it some years ago.
Pasta with Capers and Anchovies
2-3 C uncooked broccoli or cauliflower flowerets, or some of each
Pasta for 4
Cook pasta and vegetables, drain, and keep warm
4 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 C. bottled capers, drained
1 tin flat anchovies
Fresh chopped cilantro, optional
In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute, stirring until softened. Mere minutes. Toss in the capers and anchovies and cook stirring, until anchovies dissolve and blend with the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the culantro and spoon over the pasta and vegetables immediately before serving.
Next issue: Three Fresh and Different Salsas — Cucumber, Pineapple and Mango. Don’t miss’em!
visitors since December 2009
