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 ↓
Cyprian Moussaka
Ingredients
Directions
1. Immerse the aubergine slices in lightly salted water for 30 minutes, then rinse and, squeezing them gently, pat dry with kitchen towel. The courgettes need no attention.
2. Fry the aubergine or courgette slices in the oil, turning the slices, so that they brown but don't cook through. Leave, them to drain on kitchen paper.
3. In another- pan fry the, onions in the, rest of the, oil till soft then add the meat and stir to break it up. Add the tomatoes, herbs, spices, seasoning and the wine and continue to cook for about 25 minutes when the liquid should have been absorbed.
4. For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and then add the warm milk gradually, whisking hard to remove any lumps. Take the saucepan away from the heat and stir in the seasoning, spices and cheese. Make sure that the sauce has cooled before adding the eggs.
Category:Cyprian Recipes
Category:Cyprian Meat Dishes
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 18 of 20 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 18 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Lamb | 100g cooked | 294 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Oregano | 1 tsp dried (1.8g) | 5 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sunflower Oil | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | 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.
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.
-
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,767 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + tomatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Olive + oreganotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,443 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the cinnamon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, olive, onion, beef, tomato, oregano, red wine):
- Garlicfits better
- Thymefits better
- Rosemaryfits better
- Cinnamonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, olive, onion, beef, tomato, oregano, red wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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