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Beef Ragu with Tomatoes and Olives

A hearty beef ragu simmered with tomatoes, olives, tarragon, and wine.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Tarragon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,563 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Beef Ragu with Tomatoes and Olives

Time45-50 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the ragu

  1. Heat oil in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

  2. Saute beef 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

  3. Add tarragon, tomatoes, orange zest and wine.

  4. Reduce heat to low, cover and stew 45-50 minutes or until meat is done.

  5. If stew becomes too thick, add a little water.

  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Finish and serve

  1. Stir in olives and sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

650Calories
60 gProtein
33 gFat
21 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Olive1 large (4g)4
Tarragon1 tsp dried (0.5g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

  1. Tarragon + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,563 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,649 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  4. Tarragon + tomatotop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together391 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,448 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef chuck steak
Connective tissue breaks down during long stewing, leaving the meat tender and rich.
Tomatoes
Provide acidity and body, forming the sauce base as they cook down.
Dry white wine or chicken stock
Adds liquid for the stew and deglazes flavour from the browned beef.
Olives
Add briny, salty bursts of flavour that contrast with the rich sauce.
Tarragon
Contributes a distinctive aromatic, slightly anise-like flavour.

The step that matters

Saute beef until golden brown. Browning the beef creates deep, savoury flavours through the Maillard reaction. Pale, grey meat added to the stew gives a flatter, less complex sauce.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, beef, tarragon, tomato, white wine, parsley):

  1. Lemonfits better
  2. Avocadofits better
  3. Limefits better
  4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, beef, tarragon, tomato, white wine, parsley. 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.

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