7 ingredients that shouldn't belong, but do

We're playing a little game of spot the odd one out with these recipes that make use of a wild card ingredient for a bit of excitement. So next time you get a little creative in the kitchen, remember that sometimes the craziest ideas are the most ingenious.

Source: Benito Martin

1. Never argue with a Sicilian

Sound advice. Especially when it comes to food. Sicilians are a tough lot, and they have some pretty radical ideas, such as eating ice-cream for breakfast and enjoying spleen sandwiches. But this idea of putting chocolate in lasagne is nothing short of pure genius. The chocolate gives the mince a lovely luxurious texture and a complex depth of flavour.

Sicilian chocolate lasagne Source: Feast magazine

2. The proof is in the pudding

Vinegar turns up in a lot of unexpected places, but the astringent ingredient in this asynpoeding, or vinegar pudding, isn't here to turn your mouth inside-out, rather it lends an agreeable balance to the sweetness of this creamy dessert.

Vinegar pudding (asynpoeding)

3. Berries and cream rice

If you were to think of one fruit that might cross over to the savoury side, it probably wouldn't be strawberries. But here they are getting comfortable with chicken stock and parmesan in this strawberry risotto. The tartness of the strawberries mimic tomatoes in this otherwise classic risotto, making it a sharp and savoury affair.

Strawberry risotto (risotto alle fragole)

4. Waffle on

We're all familiar with pancakes and syrup topped with bacon for breakfast, but those rule-bending Americans don't stop there, oh no. They continue the trend of blurring the lines between breakfast, dinner and dessert with this mash-up meal of fried chicken and waffles. This particular version gets even crazier with a Japanese riff of karaage chicken and an all-American ranch dressing.

Karaage chicken and waffles with ranch dressing

5. Happy as a pig in cream

Bacon is the jewel in the crown of porcine products. It's marvellous with eggs, on a roll, in pasta, on a BLT, on ice-cream. Wait! What? Yes, candied bacon is a thing that's great on, and even in, ice-cream. The salty sweetness of the cured meat is perfect with ice-cream's cool creaminess.

Malteser ice-cream with candied bacon Source: Benito Martin

6. A little off-beet

Nobody bats an eyelid when served a slice of carrot cake, but announce the arrival of this dark and moody chocolate and beetroot cake at the table and you're likely to raise an eyebrow or two. But the addition of earthy beetroot to rich, dark chocolate makes perfect, delicious sense, each taming the wild side of the other. It also lends a lovely burgundy hue to the crumb. (And for a gluten-free beet treat, try these chocolate, beetroot and orange cupcakes, or these hazelnut and beet brownies.)

Totally Unicorn beetroot cake Source: Randy Larcombe Photography

7. Got milk?

So you've picked up some pork neck and you're going to slow cook it. Maybe in some stock and a bit of wine? Nope, reach for the carton of milk and slosh that right in the pan. This neat trick has been used by the Italians for centuries with the lactic acid in the milk helping to break down the meat. It also makes for a delicious caramel-y, curdled sauce.

Pork neck cooked in milk (maiale al latte)