Name: Macedoine of Vegetables, Mexican Style
Ingredients: 2 dozen artichoke bottoms, cut in quarters; 2 dozen green peas, shelled; 2 dozen shelled beans; 2 dozen string beans; 2 dozen asparagus tops; 4 bell peppers, cut in small pieces; 4 heads of lettuce, trimmed and parboiled for 2 minutes; 1 large onion, chopped finely; 2 tablespoons butter; 6 ounces finely chopped lean raw ham; 2 tablespoons flour; 3 pints broth; 1 faggot of parsley; 1 sprig of thyme; 1 bay leaf; Coarse sea salt, to taste; Pepper, to taste; Essence of truffles, to taste; Small pieces of toasted bread, for garnish

Why it works: Artichoke and lettuce match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 101 recipes. Both carry trans-2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Artichoke + lettucetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together101 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Artichoke + asparagustop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together165 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Beans + asparagustop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together292 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Beans + lettucetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together500 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Artichoke + beanstop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together154 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Artichoke bottoms: Provide the main tender vegetable body and mild, nutty flavor of the macedoine.
Butter: Carries the onion's flavor and enriches the base for a smooth, rich sauce.
Flour: Thickens the broth into a smooth sauce that coats the vegetables.
Lean raw ham: Adds savory, salty meaty flavor that seasons the broth as it cooks.
Broth: Forms the liquid base of the sauce and carries flavor to the vegetables.
Green peas: Add sweetness and bright color along with the other vegetables.

The step that matters

Reduce the sauce with essence of truffles. Essence of truffles is strong and aromatic, so it should be added in small amounts and the sauce reduced just until flavorful. Reducing concentrates flavor and thickens the liquid, while overheating can dull the delicate aroma.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (artichoke, peas, beans, asparagus, pepper, lettuce, butter):

Spinachfits better
Shallotfits better
Beetrootfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against artichoke, peas, beans, asparagus, pepper, lettuce, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Macedoine of Vegetables, Mexican Style