Jennifer White, a neighbor, was telling me about a sauce she made and I thought, “That sounds so good.”

We really like capers here, and we enjoy anchovies, too. Jennifer uses this sauce on all kinds of things: chicken, fish, even plain pasta. It would be good on pork chops or slices of pork tenderloin, turkey breast, cauliflower, tofu, almost anything that can stand a little zing.

I like it on pasta. When Jamie tried it, he said, “Twice as many capers.” Actually, I wished I had used small-shell pasta or orecchiette, the ear-shaped pasta, actually more like a disk with a dent in it, or even bow ties – something with little cavities that would catch the capers, because in our bowl, all the capers migrated to the bottom where Jamie had to use a spoon to retrieve them.

We buy capers in a very large jar, not those weenie ones with 3 or 4 tablespoons in them. If you like capers, it is worth looking for large quantities at wholesale food service places.

Anchovies are a little controversial, but anyone in Maine who likes smelts ought not have a problem with anchovies. In this recipe the anchovy gets all mashed up. If you really dislike the texture of anchovies, use a squirt of anchovy paste, but don’t leave it out.

This is fast food. Fifteen minutes if all you do is serve it on pasta. Salad on the side and you are good to go.

Looking for … ployes. I would like to make ployes from scratch. There is a really nice prepackaged mix made here in Maine, but I thought it would be interesting to start from scratch. Plus I am a little fuzzy on how to eat them – serve them with maple syrup?

Send queries or answers to Sandy Oliver, 1061 Main Road, Islesboro 04848. E-mail: tastebuds@prexar.com. For recipes, tell us where they came from. List ingredients, specify number of servings and do not abbreviate measurements. Include name, address and daytime phone number.

Green Caper Sauce

Yields 1 cup sauce.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 stick butter

1/2 small onion finely chopped

1 anchovy filet chopped

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons rinsed capers

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil and half the butter in a small, heavy saucepan and slowly cook onion in it. When it is soft, add anchovy, mashing it into the onion. Then sprinkle the flour in, and stir to mix it well; add capers and parsley. Stir in the wine vinegar and water, and cook over low heat to thicken sauce. Just before serving, add the rest of the butter and the balsamic vinegar.