Watching people create a meal appears like effortless magic for some of us. They seem to know what wine goes with what dish, what spices work well with what flavor, and always perfectly pair sides with every meal. For others, learning to cook excellent meals that excite us about cooking and eating can seem like an uphill battle.
Surprisingly (and thankfully), figuring out how to pair food is not magic, especially when you have someone like us by your side to help out!
If you've ever wondered about the best meat and vegetable pairings to create an incredible dish, we're here to help.
Pairing Ingredients Is a Scent Science
Believe it or not, our experiences finding food items that pair well together aren't about the tongue but all in the nose. 80% of experiencing flavors that pair well share an essential aspect of their aroma. What most of us don't realize is that when we say something tastes good, what truly impacts the flavor is how it smells. Our sensory experience of flavor perception occurs through the nose when we inhale and in the mouth and back of our throats as we exhale.
Taste is connected to our flavor experience, but since it is such a small amount—just 20%, it should not be confused with flavor. Regarding taste, we can detect only five basics: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami.
When you begin your journey in cooking, or wonder how professional chefs find flawless pairings, remember that two or more ingredients are complementary when they share key aromas. Once you've found complementary aromas to create great flavor, you can pack the most flavor into each bite without overwhelming the tongue. How do you do that? B y using simple ingredients instead of complicated ones.
Filet Mignon with Rosemary Brown Butter and Sautéed Carrots, Brussels Sprouts, and Peas
Filet mignon has a smoky, umami flavor. Carrots, when sauteed, become sweet; Brussels sprouts hold a hint of the same earthiness of filet mignon with a hint of bitterness. Adding the peas adds another layer of sweetness and savoriness that all work together to create a harmony of aroma and flavor.
Adding the brown butter introduces toffee notes and yet more sweet and savory, making a dish unforgettable as it tastes complex, but is truly simple to cook.
Rabbit Meat and Vegetable Pairings
Rabbit is perhaps one of the few proteins that taste as close to chicken as many others claim. Rabbit meat has a subtle flavor suitable for absorbing and presenting deliciously pungent seasonings with a hint of richness, earthy minerals, and sweetness that poultry lacks.
Consider garlic, rosemary, and sage for herbs that pair well with rabbit and vegetables. If you love to experiment, herbs such as fennel, marjoram, lavender, and mint—all considered pungent—may also work exceptionally.
One of the most uncomplicated yet delectable vegetables to pair with rabbit meat is roasted baby potatoes, which can be seasoned with garlic and rosemary. Potatoes have an earthy flavor with a hint of sweetness which is ideal for rabbit meat.
Since rabbit is a versatile meat, there are several other vegetable pairings you can consider experimenting with, others like:
- Spinach is mild and slightly sweet when raw and becomes more robust and acidic when cooked.
- Mushrooms often have the same flavor and aroma profile as the rabbit meat itself, and pairing them together doesn't overwhelm but merges to create a deeper, more complex flavor in dishes. Most mushrooms have a slightly woodsy, meaty flavor, perfect for rabbit.
Sweet and Tangy Vegetables with Pork Loin
Sweet and tangy vegetables are ideal for pairing with a delicious pork loin roast without overpowering the delicate pork. For example, root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, radishes, garlic, parsnips, beets, turnips, and yuca can all be used to create a mouth-watering roast pork loin dish.
These vegetables' natural sweetness and tanginess can be matched with the pork loin using ingredients such as brown sugar, cider vinegar, and a touch of tomato paste for the acidic tanginess.
Cruciferous Vegetables and Grilled Fish
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, collard greens, and watercress make an outstanding side dish with grilled fish. Some cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, have a distinctive taste and may not be a favorite for some.
As an alternative, bok choy has a pleasant, subtle taste. It has a vibrant, lush, green flavor and a hint of a peppery kick, making it a great vegetable to compliment delicately flavored grilled seafood. Balancing bok choy with delicate fish means you can still enjoy the subtle flavors together.
Halibut is a lean fish with a modest, sweet-tasting white flesh that works well for those who don't like their seafood too fishy tasting. It cooks excellently on the grill with juicy, large flakes and a firm, tender texture. Consider using unsweetened coconut flakes, lime, salt, and pepper to coat the halibut, drizzling slightly with your favorite oil, then coating the bok choy with oil and season with salt. Grill the halibut and the bok choy simultaneously, then mix a squeeze of lime juice and coconut milk in a bowl with a pinch of salt for dressing to drizzle over the grilled halibut and bok choy.
Flank Steak and Vegetable Pairings
Flank steak has a well-defined grain structure with a more robust, beefier flavor than other beef steak cuts. Flank is lean, thicker, and quickly becomes tough when cooked incorrectly. When appropriately cooked or adequately marinated, you can create a fork-cutting-tender steak.
Many of us may be familiar with using flank steak in fajitas and stir fry, but you may not be familiar with trying oven-cooked flank steak. Cooking flank steak in the oven on a sheet pan with paired vegetables creates a tender, juicy steak entree that is quick to make and easy to clean up.
Root vegetables are a flawless choice as a side and pairing with this cut of steak. Consider potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips cut into chunks and tossed in olive oil with fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper to toss on the sheet and roast with the steak.
Creating a well-balanced meat and vegetable dish doesn't have to be overcomplicated. With simple herbs and ingredients, pairing flavors and aromas that fit together, you can create a meal that feels like a Michelin star dish right in your home.
At Wholey, our passion is delivering the freshest meats, seafood, and ingredients right to your door and inspiring families nationwide to explore meals that will make them fall in love with food again. We hope you've found inspiration for your next meal with us!