Why it works: Tomato and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,719 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Selsko Meso
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Make the meatballs by mixing ground meat with ground onion, salt, pepper, and spices.
Cut the pork into small pieces and fry them in oil, adding the ground onion and frying together.
Make the sauce
When the pork is browned, add tomatoes (or ketchup), mushrooms, smoked meat, and the meatballs, then season with spices, salt, red pepper, bukovec, and pepper.
Dissolve a spoonful of flour into a glass of water (the water used for the mushrooms) and add a glass of wine.
Bake and serve
Transfer the mixture to a clay baking dish and bake in the oven.
Add cheese and cream before serving.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Meat | 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.
-
Tomato + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,719 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mushroom + winetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,632 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (allspice, anise).
-
Pork + mushroomtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (allspice, anise).
-
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 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
- Pork meat
- Provides the main bulk and meaty texture as it browns and becomes tender during cooking.
- Ground meat
- Forms the meatballs, giving a soft, cohesive texture that holds its shape in the sauce.
- Mushrooms
- Add moisture and savory, earthy flavor as they release their liquid into the dish.
- Dry smoked meat
- Adds concentrated smoky, salty flavor that seasons the whole dish.
- Flour (in the method)
- Thickens the liquid into a smoother sauce as it is dissolved and heated.
- Cheese cream
- Adds richness and fat, creating a creamy, mellow finish when stirred in at the end.
The step that matters
Browning the pork before adding liquids. Browning the pork through frying builds deep, savory flavors via the Maillard reaction. Adding tomatoes or liquid too early steams the meat and dilutes that flavor.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, meat, tomato, mushroom, pepper, wine, cheese):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, meat, tomato, mushroom, pepper, wine, cheese. 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.
You might also like
Meatless Tomato Soup23 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Pork Cake107 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.