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 ↓
Rés Guisada
Ingredients
Directions
Marinate
In a bowl mix the meat, onion, pepper, and ground black pepper.
Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.
Cook the stew
In a pot heat the oil, add the meat (reserve the onions and peppers) and sauté until the meat is light brown.
Add 2 tablespoons of water and let simmer at medium heat until the meat is tender, adjusting water when necessary (you can shorten the process by using the pressure cooker).
When the meat is tender reduce water.
Add the tomato sauce, onions, tomatoes and peppers and sauté.
Add half a cup of water and reduce to make a thin sauce.
Add salt to taste.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Green Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 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
- Becomes tender through slow simmering, which breaks down its connective tissue.
- Tomato sauce
- Adds concentrated tomato flavour and body to the sauce.
- Tomatoes
- Add moisture and fresh acidity as they soften into the sauce.
- Green bell peppers
- Add a grassy, slightly bitter aroma and some texture to the stew.
- Red onion
- Adds sweetness and aroma as it softens and mingles with the sauce.
The step that matters
Simmering the meat until tender. Beef needs a long, gentle simmer with enough liquid for its tough connective tissue to break down. Adding too little water can scorch the meat, while stopping early leaves it chewy.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, onion, tomato, sauce, garlic):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Mangofits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, onion, tomato, sauce, garlic. 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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