Anchovies are best when they are cured in salt, compared to oil (which often turns rancid quite easily and they are often packed in so tight that they are broken). I find the Spanish ones to be of the highest quality. You have to soak them in water to get rid of the excess salt, then take out the bones, and pat dry. Then you can either marinate in a good olive oil, a little vinegar, and some chopped herbs, serving as a part of a antipasto or whatever dish you have at hand.
Capers add a unique and pungent flavor to dishes. We use them in the traditional pastas and antipasti, but also meat and fish. The best capers hail from the islands of Salina and Pantelleria off Sicilia, with volcanic soil and a hot climate. Capers are tiny tight flower buds of a shrub, Capparis spinosa, and they grow in trenches dug to hold them firm and protect them from the strong winds. Like saffron, capers are harvested by hand in the late spring, before they begin to open. Like olives, they must be cured, as they are too bitter to eat as they are. They are usually sun dried a few days and then layered in salt or oil. Again, the salt cured ones are best. Look for them in specialty markets.
