Capers have a way of finding their place in our culinary adventures. Back in the day, my mother would blend them with fragrant herbs and olive oil to whip up a rustic salsa verde, which she would generously drizzle over crispy fried or roasted cauliflower. Another inventive twist she brought to the table was incorporating capers into German-style potato salads, partnered with onions, mustard, and broth. Meanwhile, my father’s go-to move was to fry up those capers and serve them alongside tender asparagus, or as a delectable filling wrapped in thin veal slices called involtini, accompanied by a delightful white-wine sauce infused with breadcrumbs, capers, and herbs. And let’s not forget the irresistible combination of fried zucchini and capers, perfectly paired with slices of meatloaf or meatballs.
While I adore all these caper creations, it is the fusion of fried zucchini and capers that holds me most captivated. As a true believer in challenging family traditions, I’ve taken it upon myself to explore alternative uses for this tantalizing duo, something that never crossed the minds of my grandmother or father.
What I’ve discovered is that fried zucchini, when combined with the earthy allure of capers, lays a delectable groundwork for pasta dishes—provided there’s a lusciously creamy element to balance out the tanginess. Typically, I indulge in a cheesy pasta extravaganza, melting buffalo mozzarella or a mountain of grated pecorino into a sauce, allowing the lightly pickled zucchini to shine.
However, in the rendition I present here, there are no traces of cheese or meat. Instead, the rich creaminess stems from the painstaking slow-cooking of more zucchini. First, I sauté it in olive oil for five minutes, then allow it to simmer alongside the dried pasta and water, resulting in a luxuriously starchy sauce that envelops every strand in a sumptuous gloss. The fried zucchini and capers are introduced once everything is cooked, breaking the monotony and introducing a burst of texture and refreshing tang.
To me, this evolution seems like a natural progression in the legacy of my grandmother’s fried zucchini. By selectively remembering and daringly bending some minor rules, I may have just carved out a new path for our family’s culinary customs.
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