Pickled capers add snap to pasta sauces

Dear Food Network Kitchens: What are capers, where are they grown, and how and what should someone use them for in recipes? Thanks for your response. &#8212; Maureen Hoffman, Grandview, Mo.

Dear Maureen: Capers are the buds of a shrub native to the Mediterranean. They're pickled and preserved in vinegar most usually, although you can also find them packed in salt, like anchovies.

If the buds don't get picked, they turn into flowers, and then eventually into a green berry (called a caperberry), about the size of an olive. Caperberries are brined, like capers are, but are milder-tasting. They're usually sold in jars, with their stems still attached.

Capers add a deliciously tangy hit of vinegar to rich dishes, such as smoked salmon, lamb shanks or brown butter sauces. They also add a great briny snap to long-cooked pasta sauces or anywhere you'd find olives, and are spectacular with golden raisins and cauliflower.

Dear Food Network Kitchens: I am cooking homemade ravioli for a dinner party. How early can I put the ravioli together before cooking? &#8212; Deana Jackson, Birmingham, Ala.

Dear Deana: Fresh pasta has a shelf life of a few days at the absolute most, although you might end up trading in texture slightly (it has a tendency to dry out after a day or two in the fridge, and moister doughs can become gummy). The ravioli's filling, too, will have some bearing; cooked meat gives you about two days; cheese should keep for three.

The other option is to freeze the ravioli until you need it, in which case you can work up to about two months in advance without any adverse effects on texture. Cook frozen ravioli straight from the freezer, a couple minutes longer than you would fresh; make sure to stir a couple times to break up chunks.

Dear Food Network Kitchens: How do I get my store-bought pizza dough to stretch? It always wants to bounce back into a ball or small oval. I love thin crust, but I cannot get my pizza to roll out thin. How can I do this? &#8212; Mike Gillett, Temecula

Dear Mike: When dough springs back on you, it means that it's on its way to developing tough strands of gluten, which will make for a dense crust if you're not careful. Gluten in bread (including pizza crusts) forms a web to hold in the carbon dioxide from the yeast. The more gluten present, the firmer the bread.

The best way to avoid this is to use a gentle hand with the dough &#8212; instead of rolling it out with a pin, hold it up like a steering wheel, stretching it gently. As it gets bigger, balance it on your knuckles and pull your fists apart &#8212; again, gently.

&#8212; For more information, visit http://www.foodnetwork.com or write Ask Food Network c/o Viewer Services Culinary Department, Scripps Networks, P.O. Box 50970, Knoxville, TN 37950.


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