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 ↓
Escabeche De Guineos
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the bananas and gizzards
Boil the bananas in salt water until cooked, about 20 minutes.
Boil the chicken gizzards in salt water, add one envelope of regular sazon, onion powder, and garlic powder (1 spoonful of each), until chicken is very tender, about two hours. Drain the chicken gizzards and cut into small pieces.
Cut bananas into 1/2 inch pieces (straight circles).
Make the garlic sauce and onions
Cut onions into thin slices.
Take garlic and puree in food chopper or blender, add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste (you may add one envelope of plain sazon).
Combine and bake
Add bananas, chicken gizzards, garlic, olives, onions, and olive oil, mix well.
Place in oven for 20-30 minutes at 325°F. Remove and serve warm.
Serve warm, optionally with rice, meat, pasteles, or alone.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Banana | 1 medium (118g) | 105 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 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).
-
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Chicken + garlictop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,850 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,779 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green bananas
- Provide the starchy base that becomes soft and holds the dish together.
- Spanish onions
- Add sweetness and aroma as they soften in the oil and bake.
- Garlic
- Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens during baking.
- Virgin olive oil
- Adds fat and moisture, carrying flavor through the bananas and onions.
- Chicken gizzards
- Add savory meaty flavor and chew; they are optional in this dish.
The step that matters
Boil the chicken gizzards until very tender. Gizzards are dense muscle and stay tough unless simmered long enough to break down their connective tissue. Undercooked pieces will be chewy in the finished dish, so test for tenderness before cutting.
Swap the banana
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, garlic, olive, pepper):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Lemonfits better
- Bananathe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, garlic, olive, pepper. 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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