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Don’t be Afraid to Use Fruit in Savory Dishes
Every dish, whether savory or sweet, needs balance between several taste elements: salt, sweet, sour, and bitter. You want a little bit of each of these elements to create an amazing dish.
While we may think of certain ingredients as being inherently sweet, often they contain a balance of several elements. Fruit, for example, can be generally used to add both sweet and sour elements, and shouldn’t be relegated to breakfast or dessert. If properly balanced, fruit can add an important and interesting element to savory dishes.
Some classic savory dishes with fruit that you might already be familiar with include berry salad dressings, chicken tagine with apricots, or applesauce with pork chops. In each of these dishes, the fruit element serves to balance salty, bitter, or fatty flavors. The acid will cut through the fat and salt, brightening the flavors, and the sweet flavors will counteract any bitter elements.
It may sound weird at first to include fruit in savory dishes, but it’s my favorite way to put a new twist on old favorites. This isn’t an excuse to put bananas in the tomato sauce, but it is permission to experiment in the kitchen.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Blueberries
Blueberries hit their peak at the end of June, and continue to be harvested in abundance for much of the summer. Look for blueberries that are deep blue or purple in color; red or green tones are an indicator that the berries are not yet ripe. The grayish cast is normal, and not necessarily an indicator of ripeness. Likewise, larger berries are also not indicative of flavor.
If blueberries are no longer in season and you want to make this Bolognese, frozen berries can be substituted. You won’t need as long of a cook time to break down the berries and thicken the sauce.
Ground Lamb
Lamb has grown in popularity in recent months, likely due to other meat shortages at the grocery store. But lamb isn’t just a backup meat when you can’t get beef or chicken; it is a flavorful meat that can be easily incorporated into (almost) any meal plan. If you aren’t familiar with it, lamb is a red meat with similar flavors to beef, but with a few differences. Lamb has a stronger, more pronounced meat flavor with notes of grassiness.
There may be a local butcher or rancher that sells lamb at your farmers market. If so, I definitely recommend purchasing from local sources. Sheep play an important role in regenerative farming, which is important in maintaining farmland and continuing to produce healthful produce.
Tips and Tricks
This is a great recipe to use up a large amount of blueberries. If your berries are slightly damaged, that won’t matter here. Bruised or smashed berries will get cooked down just the same as perfect berries. You may be able to get a deal from your local farmer for these less-than-perfect blueberries. And who doesn’t love a deal?
Serving Suggestions
I served this Blueberry and Lamb Bolognese over polenta, which is easy to make while the Bolognese simmers and thickens on the stove. I recommend using Serious Eats’ recipe, as it has a good writeup on the proper ratio of liquid to dry polenta (cornmeal).
Pasta is another easy option for a serving vessel for Bolognese sauce. Tagliatelle, a flat and wide noodle, would be my recommendation for noodle choice. I’ll give you bonus points if you are able to find a local pasta shop selling artisanal noodles at the farmers market. I’ve definitely seen this more frequently at my local markets.
And while Blueberry and Lamb Bolognese is Whole30 compliant when served by itself, neither of the options I list above are compliant. For Whole30-ers, I recommend serving with either zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. Either of these options provide a vessel for holding the sauce without competing with the blueberry and lamb flavors.
How to Store Leftovers
Like most sauces, this Blueberry and Lamb Bolognese stores incredibly well in the freezer. Freeze individual portions of sauce in 1 cup containers, and then vacuum seal them for the longest possible shelf life.
Blueberry and Lamb Bolognese
This Blueberry and Lamb Bolognese may sound like a step too far, but I urge you to get out of your comfort zone and try blueberries in a savory dish.
Ingredients
Blueberry and Lamb Bolognese:
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb blueberries
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 sprig rosemary
- Optional: 1 tsp arrowroot starch
For serving:
- Polenta
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a large sauté pan to medium low heat. Add onions and carrots and sauté until soft and the onions are golden.
- Add garlic and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Push onions, carrots, and garlic to one side of the pan. Turn heat up to medium high and add ground lamb to the center. Brown the lamb, breaking up the pieces as you go.
- Once lamb has fully browned, use a spoon to remove excess oil from the pan.
- Stir in blueberries and red wine vinegar. Add rosemary.
- Bring heat back down to a medium low and allow to simmer for 45 minutes or until blueberries have burst and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove rosemary sprig and compost.
- Optional: mix arrowroot starch with 1 tbsp of cold water to make a slurry. Stir this slurry into the bolognese sauce to further thicken and bind the sauce.
- Serve over polenta with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
