This week, one of our favourite pop stars here at Euronews Culture shared a divisive drink combination.
Indeed, Dua Lipa split the internet with her now-viral TikTok post showing the ‘Levitating’ and ‘Houdini’ singer pouring a can of Diet Coke into a glass. Nothing strange about that. But then she added pickle juice and some jalapeño sauce to the mix. And yes, a few pickles and jalapeño slices did tip into the beverage.
She seemed to think it was delicious. British chef Gordon Ramsay even tried it in response to the clip, and he wasn’t levitating…
Much like her olive oil-and-ice cream tip earlier this year, we tried this new combo and… Well, it’s surprisingly good. It’s two-for-two for Lipa. As far as we’re concerned, she is fast becoming our culinary sensei.
While we wait for her to drop another unusual combination, we got thinking about our very own strange pairings, and thought we’d share our favourite food mashups. Just keep an open mind, and hopefully these will inspire you to step outside your culinary comfort zones.
And don’t call the authorities (or Gordon) – we’re fine, we promise.
Peanut butter & pickles
Peanut butter is the great love of my life. Together through thick and thin, crunchy and smooth, I’m convinced there’s no food or life circumstance it won’t make better.
Take, for instance, pickles. Pickles are delicious too. They’re salty and sour, tubby little things bursting with boisterous brine that temporarily satiates every human particle of yearning. Some people will relish in telling you this is wrong, but they’re the ones who are wrong – and clearly living on a lower, less joyous plane of existence.
However, no great snack comes without consequence. If you, too, have issues with self-control, you might well find yourself at the end of a gherkin jar with sandpapered taste buds and stinging lips. This is where the peanut butter comes in – as a sort of armour for acidicness.
Spread it onto the pickle like icing – don’t be precious, just really let yourself go if the mood takes – et voilà! You’ve got yourself a creamy barrier that offsets any sharpness with butteryness. Always go for crunchy peanut butter (obviously) for added texture, and have a hand towel nearby (it’s a bit messy). If you’re feeling lazy and don’t mind getting pickle juice in the peanut butter container, go right ahead and dunk the pickles straight in there.
Please note that this snack combination does sometimes come with moments of troubling self-reflection, but if, as the saying goes, “love means never having to say you’re sorry” then nope, I’m not sorry for choosing to live like this. Dill with it. AB
Goat’s cheese & Nutella
Sweet and savory is a thing, and let’s not pretend it’s not a glorious pairing for the ages. One which I’ve discovered works wonders is cheese and chocolate – specifically goat’s cheese and Nutella. Or whichever chocolate paste you favour, but it has to be said that Nutella works best.
Before you run for the hills or suspect they’ve let me out of my straitjacket for the day, hear me out. The distinct flavour of goat’s cheese marries well with the hazelnut goodness of one of Italy’s finest exports.
Yes, Nutella is manufactured by Piedmont’s Ferrero. Now you know.
Don’t be too decadent with the amounts you add – this isn’t Amber’s peanut butter and pickle recipe (which I’m definitely trying out tonight). Just some light dollops will do. However, once you do lovingly affix the paste to the cheese and top it with some pistachios if you’re feeling extra fancy, and mama mia, che delizioso!
And when you think about it, cheese is regularly enjoyed with jams and chutneys. So, is it that surprising another sweet paste works wonders?
Nutella also works a treat with Manchego cheese, cancelling out some of the saltiness and leaving you with an orgasmic snack that works particularly well if you’re in the mood for a grilled cheese… It may sound odd but it actually makes all the cheesy sense in the world. And if you’re not opposed to the idea, feel free to try out another one of my madcap Nutella / chocolate tricks: leave out the garlic from your hummus and add some Nutella and a swig of maple syrup. Beat all of that up like it owes you money, and go to town on that dip. Trust me – it’ll blow your socks off. DM
Mayonnaise & Nutella
Memory rarely comes as it’s presented in art. There are few crystal clear flashbacks dialogue recalled with perfect clarity. Nor is it vague moments covered in haze. Most often, it’s a selection of singular moments, preserved in amber. This is one of them.
I remember almost nothing from my Year 2 teacher Mrs Moses (I was 6 years old) aside from her sincerely suggesting we try this bizarre combo. I’ve loved it ever since.
As with all great peculiarities, some of my sick pleasure comes from the instant recoil anyone makes when they hear you have dared combine the luxurious sweet treat of Italy’s national hero with the unctuous savoury condiment mayonnaise.
Dear reader, stay with me. You’re assuming that the Nutella is the main player here with the mayo acting as a sulphureous sideshow. It’s not. We’re adding complex nutty tones and deep chocolate hues to the masterpiece landscape oil painting that mayonnaise is.
Forget your gag reflex for one second and picture the pure decadence of everyone’s favourite emulsification complemented by everyone’s favourite sweet palette. Don’t think of it as Nutella and mayonnaise. Think of it as a poor man’s chocolate creme brulée. Add a bit of sugar on top and torch it, I dare you. JW
Wotsits & Kinder Egg
A bizarre food combination that I believe could pair disturbingly well with Dua Lipa’s evil pickle juice Diet Coke is what I like to call a Kinder Egg Wotsit sandwich.
If you’re scratching your head thinking, “What’s a Wotsit?”, just imagine a Cheeto – a bright, nuclear orange cheese puff crisp from the UK that I personally consider a national treasure.
To make this delicious monstrosity of a sandwich, first carefully split your chocolate Kinder Egg in half and throw away the sad little toy inside. Replace it with the real star of the show – two to three Wotsits. Seal it up and voilà – your sandwich is ready to devour however you please.
As you take a bite, you’ll first be greeted with the smooth, creamy chocolate goodness o
f the Kinder Egg, only to be pleasantly interrupted by the satisfying crunch and salty cheesiness of the Wotsits.
And for those who like to really live life on the edge, you can spice things up by using Flamin’ Hot Wotsits instead. You’re welcome! TF
Mashed potato & Marmite (and a whole lot more)
Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I don’t think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport – I think about mashed potatoes.
There’s something incredibly soothing about forking a food into a smudgy then velvety texture, as if all life’s frustrations could be so easily melded into a meditative mush. It’s also this perfect foundation for stirring in crazy concoctions, like a witch tending to her love potion.
Obviously, olive oil and/or butter are no-brainers, but after that, I always go for a hefty spoonful of Marmite. You know it’s enough when the mash turns to the colour of fudge.
Next, Tabasco. Just about three or four blobs – I sometimes imagine it’s the blood of my enemies or tears from the devil, then fold it in. Add a little sprinkle of garlic salt because, why not? Then heat up some (thick) gravy, pour over, and tuck in.
I can’t exactly explain why this works – there’s the added umami flavour and hints of spice and garlic that bring extra excitement to the gloopy creaminess of the mash – but ultimately, it’s just a mad mash-up of things I like that together, somehow work and always make a bad day better. It’s quite beautiful, really.
Not the dish itself – that does, admittedly, look like a sewage spill. AB
Strawberries & basil (and pepper)
My esteemed colleagues have been regaling you with quite the lunatic (but bizarrely yummy-sounding) array of recipes, so I’m going to temporarily dial it back and stick with the basics.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of this simple yet deliciously depraved combination, I pity you. Follow my lead.
Cut some fresh strawberries and place them in a bowl. Roll up a few basil leaves into succulent scented cigarette and chop some thin slices. Sprinkle them on top of nature’s candy and then crack some black peppercorns to season.
I’ve heard of some intrepid gastronomes who add a soupçon of balsamic vinegar glaze, lemon, or a mist of white sugar. Fine additions, but surplus to requirement. It’s the KISS principle in the kitchen that works best: Keep It Simple, Sous-chef.
Et voilà – a healthy and yummy dessert which sees the pepper and basil leaves neutralize some of the tartness and bring out some extra flavours in the strawberries. The magic condiments also work with a lot of citrus fruits – pineapple in particular.
Once you’ve been converted, the sky’s the limit. My tip: sliced peaches (thirds work best), halved strawberries and whole blueberries, with generous helpings of chopped basil and properly ground pepper. Add some granulated sugar this time, mix everything together and you’ve got yourself a fruitbowl you won’t forget in a hurry.
Now, brace yourselves for our final recommendation, which sounds like an artery-clogging nightmare… DM
Quorn mince & a whole lot of condiments
The instruction on the back of Quorn mince – the meat alternative that became a staple in the 2010s – says something to the effect of “combine with your favourite sauce and heat up”.
Being a hungry kitchen illiterate teenager, I took this instruction a little too literally and created a monster.
Instead of sauce being the pomodoro base of a typical ragu, I assumed it meant condiments. Naturally this meant putting a load of the frozen mince in a bowl and pouring in a hefty combo of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard (the yellow American-style slop), brown sauce (always HP), Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce (Tabasco) and to give it some Asian satay flair, peanut butter.
Throw the bowl, now resembling some kind of primordial soup, into a microwave for about 10 minutes. Enough to caramelise the sugars, evaporate the liquid and turn this war crime into a sticky-yet-crispy MSG nightmare. Finally, top with cheese and blast for a few more minutes to make it presentable.
I nicknamed this dish “Sploosh” after the magical treat from the book “Holes”. I can’t speak to Sploosh’s nutritional qualities, but I have a hunch it’s all you’d need to survive in any inhospitable environment. Much like all good cooking, it brings together all the key flavour profiles: sweet, salty, spicy, and bitter. Admit it, you’re intrigued. JW