Why it works: Parsley and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 669 recipes. Both carry p-mentha-1,3,8-triene, which smells camphor, herbal. The science ↓
Cauliflower Dish
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Divide the cauliflower into florets, wash and scald with hot water. Drain well.
Sauté the finely chopped onion in hot oil until softened, add the flour and let fry a little.
Make the sauce and cook
Pour 2-3 tablespoons of water, add sugar, salt and peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes.
After a minute or two of boiling, add the cauliflower, parsley and dill and simmer at low temperature, covered until the liquid is well reduced.
Serve
You can serve this dish warm or cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Dill | 5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| 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.
-
Parsley + dilltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together669 recipes
Shared aroma: p-mentha-1,3,8-triene (camphor, herbal).
-
Cauliflower + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together233 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Tomato + dilltop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together511 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + parsleytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,398 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
- Cauliflower
- Forms the main body of the dish and absorbs the sauce as it simmers.
- Tomatoes
- Provide the liquid and acidity that make up the sauce.
- Onion
- Softens in oil to build a sweet, savoury base for the sauce.
- Oil
- Carries the onion's flavour and helps it soften evenly.
- Flour
- Lightly fried with the onion, it helps thicken the sauce.
The step that matters
Reducing the liquid. Simmering covered keeps moisture in, so the sauce stays thin unless the lid is removed or the liquid is given time to reduce. Reduction concentrates the tomato flavour and thickens the sauce, so it should be checked before serving.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cauliflower, flour, tomato, sugar, parsley, dill):
- Cucumberfits better
- Broccolifits better
- Beetrootfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cauliflower, flour, tomato, sugar, parsley, dill. 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.
More cauliflower with tomato sauce recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cauliflower Soup28 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.