Why it works: Olive and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 14,164 recipes mention both. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Make the ragu
Heat oil in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Saute beef 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Add tarragon, tomatoes, orange zest and wine.
Reduce heat to low, cover and stew 45-50 minutes or until meat is done.
If stew becomes too thick, add a little water.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finish and serve
Stir in olives and sprinkle with parsley just before serving.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,164 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Tarragon + parsleytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,259 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Beef + tomatotop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,445 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tarragon + tomatotop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together303 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Olive + orangetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,184 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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.
Flavor stand-ins for the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, beef, tarragon, tomato, white wine, parsley):
- Lemonbetter flavor fit
- Cherryabout as good a flavor fit
- Limeabout as good a flavor fit
- 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. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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