Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Veal Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the stock
Cut the meat into pieces, place in cold water and bring to the boil.
Salt and simmer together with the chopped carrots, onion, celery and parsley roots.
When tender, add the potatoes, and after 20 minutes also the finely sliced tomatoes.
Add the butter when nearly ready.
Serve
When serving, first place a piece of meat on the plate, then pour on the stock.
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and pepper.
Serve the grated horse-radish seasoned with vinegar and salt separately, add to the soup according to taste.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Veal | 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.
-
Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,173 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal knuckle or breast
- Gives the stock its body and rich meaty flavour as it simmers slowly.
- Potatoes
- Soften during simmering and thicken the broth slightly as their starch releases.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a rounded mouthfeel to the finished stock.
- Tomatoes
- Add acidity and fresh flavour that brightens the rich broth.
The step that matters
Add the butter when nearly ready. Adding butter near the end, rather than early, keeps its fat from separating and greasing the broth during long simmering, so it blends in as a smooth richness.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, carrot, onion, celery, potato, butter, parsley):
- Leekfits better
- Turnipfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, carrot, onion, celery, potato, butter, parsley. 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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