Coke mixed with Milk Experiment

If you like to cook, you will have likely simmered a ham in stock, poached a fish in lemon and water, or perhaps cooked a chicken in wine... but if you're like me you're also attracted to doing something a bit different on occasion. What follows are four of my favourite recipes that include unusual non-alcoholic liquids as ingredients, covering cola, seawater, milk, and pomegranate juice.

Why wander away from the traditional, safe, conventional stocks and other cooking liquids? Playing with unusual cooking liquids can add additional flavour to your meals, can contribute to meats or sauces being incredibly tender or flavourful, and can get you thinking more creatively in the kitchen. Plus, quite frankly, I enjoy telling my partner that a meal I've cooked has been cooking in or with some sort of strange liquid just to see the look of confusion on his face (and later acceptance after we've devoured a lovely dish).

The first quirky cooking liquid I love can be sourced from many different locations in the world, as it's naturally in abundance for those who have access: Seawater. Now of course you must use caution in sourcing seawater from clean areas, and also be sure to thoroughly boil the water in order to eliminate any nasties in it, be careful to not have any sand in your pot, etc... but once done seawater as a cooking liquid can add a lovely flavour-not just of salt, but of 'the sea', to vegetables, seafood or new potatoes. Seafood bisques, in particular, are given a more authentic flavour when cooked with seawater. As a child we used to use seawater to cook seafood right on the oceanfront, and the flavours really are wonderful. If you're squeamish about getting seawater straight from the ocean, keep an eye out for new companies that are planning to sell it, purified, for cooking purposes. Aquamara are one of the first, though I wouldn't be surprised if they are shortly followed by others.

Next we'll move to ham cooked in cola. Yes, as in the sugary soda drink you usually buy to mix with rum (or is that just me?). It may sound crazy at first, but the cola caramelizes a bit on the skin and produces a lovely, moist roast.The cola also flavours the outer layer of meat in a way akin to a honey-glaze. A final rub before the roast goes under the grill for a bit includes mustard and cloves, to give a hot/spicy contrast to the sweetness of the dish. The leftover cooking liquid can also be used to make ham and black bean soup. Although this originated in-you guessed it-the United States, even the UK's Good Food Channell recommends taking your ham into the brave cola-plunge with this recipe. Just don't think about the calories.

Back in Europe, pork slow-cooked in milk is most commonly associated with Italian cooking, though there are other regional variations. The milk initially acts as the cooking liquid, and keeps the pork moist as it gently simmers away. Once the meat is cooked, the milk is then reduced down with the other ingredients in the cooking liquid to make a lovely creamy sauce. The BBC Good Food website has just one of many lovely recipes available online for this dish, which is also sometimes called 'Arista Al Latte' (Italian), 'Roti de Porc Au Lait' (French), or 'Lomo con Leche' (Spanish). Play around to find your favourite. I prefer one that includes a dash of cinnamon, but there are plenty of variations to match your individual tastes.

Carrying on East across the globe, we get to Iran and one of my favourite dishes of all time: koresht fesenjan, with its use of pomegranate molasses. I had this in a restaurant in London ten years ago and was enamoured with its unusual combination of the fruit's juice and crushed walnuts to go with chicken and rice, and have since cooked it several times. Pomegranate molasses, in a savoury dish? Trust me, it works beautifully. This recipe at MyPersianCooking.com includes a way to make the dish vegetarian, as well as detailing how to cook it with meat.

A note on pomegranate molasses: it can be found in the occasional grocery store or particularly in a Middle Eastern food shops- but don't despair if, like me, you haven't managed to track any down at a time when you're ready to cook this meal. It's easy enough to make your own: just put 4 cups of pomegranate juice, a half a cup of sugar and a quarter cup of lemon juice into a saucepan. Simmer for about an hour with no lid, until it turns syrupy. Cool and store in the fridge (that is, if you don't use it all as soon as making it!).


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