Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics & Base
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil, room temperature
- 3 garlic, minced
- 1 g red pepper flakes
Body & Liquid
- 30 g capers, drained and thoroughly rinsed
- 400 g crushed tomatoes, canned, high quality
- 120 ml chicken stock, low sodium
Finishing
- 5 g fresh basil, roughly torn
- 1 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 87 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 10 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 763 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Potassium
- 404 mg
- Calcium
- 51 mg
- Iron
- 1.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 26 mg
- Phosphorus
- 57 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 31 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 12 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 10 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.01 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.03 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 4 mcg
- Water
- 37 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Allow it to warm for about 1 minute.
Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the saucepan. Sauté continuously with a wooden spoon for 1 minute until the garlic is highly fragrant and softened, taking care not to let it brown.
Stir in the rinsed capers, crushed tomatoes, and chicken stock. Mix thoroughly to combine the ingredients into an even, red liquid.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil at approximately 100°C/212°F, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the torn fresh basil and black pepper. Taste the sauce before adding any kosher salt, as the capers and chicken stock provide significant natural salinity.
Chef's Notes
- Rinsing the capers is a critical step; unrinsed capers carry heavily salted or vinegared packing liquids that will easily overpower the delicate sweetness of the crushed tomatoes.
- For an even richer mouthfeel, try whisking a tablespoon of cold unsalted butter into the sauce right off the heat. This technique, known as monter au beurre, rounds out the acidity beautifully.
- Using homemade chicken stock provides a gelatin-rich body to the sauce that store-bought cartons simply cannot match. If using boxed stock, consider blooming a tiny pinch of unflavored gelatin in it before adding to the pan.
- Tear the basil leaves by hand rather than chopping them with a knife. Chopping can bruise the delicate leaves and cause them to oxidize and turn black quickly.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight glass container to prevent staining.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze in flat, airtight bags or pre-portioned ice cube trays.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbling, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
Troubleshooting
Sauce tastes overly salty or harsh
Cause: Capers were not properly rinsed, or the chicken stock contained too much sodium, which concentrated during the simmering reduction
Fix: Stir in a splash of plain water, a small pinch of sugar, or a light squeeze of fresh lemon juice to balance out the salinity
Prevention: Rinse capers thoroughly under cold water before using, and strictly use low-sodium or unsalted chicken stock
Garlic tastes bitter
Cause: The garlic was cooked at too high a temperature or for too long, causing it to burn
Fix: Cannot be fixed. If the garlic burns severely before adding tomatoes, it is best to wipe the pan clean and start over
Prevention: Keep heat at medium and stir constantly; add the liquid ingredients immediately if the garlic begins to take on color
Cultural Context
Capers are the unripened flower buds of the Capparis spinosa bush, a hardy plant that has been a staple of Mediterranean coastal cuisine for thousands of years. Combining these briny buds with tomatoes and a meat-based stock echoes the rustic, resource-efficient cooking styles historically found in Southern Italy and Greece, where bold, preserved flavors were used to stretch simple pantry ingredients into deeply satisfying meals.
