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Espaguetis

A spaghetti dish with tomato sauce, optional salami, capers, and evaporated milk, served hot.

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Why it works: Olive and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Espaguetis

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the pasta

  1. Boil the spaghetti until slightly softer than al dente, adding a teaspoon of salt to the water.

  2. Drain the water and reserve.

Make the sauce

  1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan.

  2. Saute the salami until it turns golden brown on the outside.

  3. Add the onions, pepper, garlic, and capers, and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.

  4. Add the tomatoes, and let simmer until the tomatoes are tender.

  5. Add the tomato paste and vinegar.

  6. Add the milk and let simmer at low heat until half the liquid evaporates.

  7. Add the spaghetti and incorporate.

  8. Add pepper and oregano, and adjust salt to taste.

Serve

  1. Serve hot.

  2. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

525Calories
23 gProtein
30 gFat
45 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Plum1 medium (66g)30
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Capers1 tbsp (9g) drained2
Salt1 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.

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

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

  2. Capers + olivetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,688 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Plum + tomatotop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,480 recipes

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

  4. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

  5. Capers + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,381 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Spaghetti
Forms the base of the dish, carrying the sauce on its surface.
Tomato paste
Concentrates tomato flavor and thickens the sauce as it cooks down.
Evaporated milk
Adds creaminess and body to the sauce as its liquid reduces.
Onion
Softens while simmering, adding sweetness and savory depth to the sauce.
Plum tomatoes
Break down while simmering to add moisture and fresh tomato flavor.

The step that matters

Let the milk simmer until half the liquid evaporates. Reducing the liquid slowly at low heat concentrates flavor and thickens the sauce. Too high a heat can scorch the milk solids on the pan bottom, and stopping too early leaves the sauce thin and watery.

Swap the capers

The recipe marks capers as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salami, parmesan cheese, olive, pepper, plum, tomato, onion):

  1. Basilfits better
  2. Garlicfits better
  3. Oreganofits better
  4. Capersthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against salami, parmesan cheese, olive, pepper, plum, tomato, onion. 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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