Name: Casserole De Santa Fe
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cup am blue cornmeal; 1 tsp non-alum baking powder; 2 tsp cumin; 2 tsp chili powder; 2 cup milk or water; 1 egg, beaten or egg replacer; 1 cup chopped green chilis; 1 tbsp am unrefined vegetable oil; 1 med onion, chopped; 2 cup pinto beans; -- (cooked with clove of; -- garlic and drained); 1 cup tomato sauce; 2 1/2 cup grated cheese; chopped green onions; -- to garnish top

Why it works: Cumin and beans match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,188 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. 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.

Cumin + beanstop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,188 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Beans + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,713 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cumin + tomatotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,272 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Blue cornmeal: Forms the main body of the batter and gives the casserole its structure and corn flavor.
Egg: Binds the batter so the casserole holds together when baked.
Milk: Hydrates the cornmeal and adds moisture so the batter bakes tender.
Non-alum baking powder: Releases gas during baking so the batter rises and lightens.
Pinto beans: Adds bulk and substance between the batter layers.
Grated cheese: Melts through the layers, adding richness and binding the filling.

The step that matters

Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the dish. Spreading the batter evenly in a base layer gives the beans, sauce and cheese a firm bed. Without it, the filling can sink or leak and the casserole may bake unevenly.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cumin, milk, egg, onion, beans, garlic, tomato):

Oreganofits better
Corianderfits better
Turmericfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cumin, milk, egg, onion, beans, garlic, tomato. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Pinto Bean	1/2 cup (86g) canned	122
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Water	not in our table	0

Casserole De Santa Fe