Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Flageolet Bean Relish
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the beans
Place dried beans in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, then cook over medium heat until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Drain beans and transfer to a large bowl. If using canned beans, rinse and drain them, then place in the large bowl.
Make the relish
Add onion, garlic, and peppers to the beans in the bowl and mix well.
Stir in vinegar, oil, thyme, and cumin, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Let stand about 30 minutes.
Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Thyme | 1 tsp dried (1.4g) | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Bean | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Beans + olivetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,470 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Beans + garlictop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,935 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flageolet beans
- Provide the main body and creamy, tender texture of the relish.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat and richness that carries the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Sherry vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the beans and balances the richness of the oil.
- Red onion
- Contributes sharp, pungent bite and crunch to the relish.
- Roasted anaheim peppers
- Add smoky, sweet pepper flavor and color.
The step that matters
Cook the beans until fully tender. Dried beans must be cooked until fully tender before being mixed with acidic vinegar. Acid added too early can toughen the skins and slow softening, leaving the beans firm and unpleasant.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, onion, garlic, pepper, sherry, vinegar, olive):
- Thymefits better
- Cuminfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beans, onion, garlic, pepper, sherry, vinegar, olive. 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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