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However, it is important to know which foods go well with each other so as to ensure that a dish not only looks tasty but that it really is. When cooking, the final touch can be achieved by adding an accompaniment to the main ingredient which can sometimes be equally important as the dish itself. You just need to think about whether you are cooking meat or fish, because the garnishes will vary in flavour and consistency.
 
These accompaniments can vary from the most simple, such as mashed potato or glazed carrots to the most sophisticated. When it comes to roast meat, roast potatoes with soft cheese, courgettes stuffed with broccoli and carrots, or stuffed mushrooms are good accompaniments. If you are looking for an original garnish for a roast, you can serve boiled pears stuffed with redcurrants, as these are very colourful and go well with the flavour of the meat. Potato and almond balls are delicious with roast beef, rump steak or roast meat, but if you are cooking strong-flavoured meats such as game, the perfect accompaniment is escalibada, made from aubergines and red peppers.
 
Balancing flavours
When the meal includes a beef steak or entrecote, green peppers give a touch of characteristic flavour but they must be served very hot as soon as the meat is ready. If the recipe involves poultry, it can be accompanied with some bacon rolls, held together with a cocktail stick and browned in the oven, also served very hot.
 
Corn tartlettes cooked with nuts and raisins are the perfect accompaniment for pork. The secret is in filling them when they are hot and bringing them to the table with the meat before they get cold. This type of ingredient can also be served with a garnish of onion and green apple cut into slices and cooked over a low heat with a teaspoonful of curry powder.
 
To accompany chicken-based dishes, green apple and beetroot balls are delicious, placed in a frying pan with lard and a little sugar stirring them until they are glazed. When grilling meat, one option is to serve it with onion rings, covered in batter and fried in plenty of oil.
 
Frankfurters are another simple possibility which, moreover, are highly suitable for egg or fish dishes. They can be served by heating tomato sauce and adding the sliced sausages. Then we add a bit of basil and paprika and stir them so that they do not burn.
 
Vegetables with fish
Fish can also be served in many different ways. With grilled fish we can serve roasted tomatoes stuffed with rice. Sliced potatoes coated in batter and then baked with grated cheese and cream enhance the flavour of roast fish, but if we are making fried fish, we can surprise our guests by making some thin tortillas flavoured with herbs. Once cooked, they can be piled on top of each other, rolled up and cut into half a centimetre strips, providing a different appearance.
 
Fried green asparagus is a classic where fish dishes are concerned, as they go perfectly with all types of fish as do hot vol-au-vents stuffed with scrambled egg.
 
With white fish, usually associated with lighter diets, fried vegetables go well; they are simple to arrange and also allow you to use your own imagination when combining flavours. You just need to wash and dry them thoroughly, then cut them into thin strips and put them in the frying pan.  Ratatouille, as well as being an excellent starter, can be served on top of little bread rolls as an accompaniment. Fresh pasta is another easy option, tossed with a little butter and a few strips of bacon.
 
Where blue fish is concerned, this is often served with bundles of vegetables. These are prepared by cutting carrots and green beans into equally sized strips. They are steamed until they are cooked, leaving them with a bit of bite. Then they are drained, tied with parsley stalks and brushed with a little melted butter.