Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
North Carolina Collard Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Put enough water in a large pot to boil all the ingredients.
Cook
Add and cook greens, potatoes, soup (or cubes), onions and salt/pepper on stove for 40 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Then add ham pieces or tiny sausages and boil 5 more minutes.
Serve
Serve with cornbread—delicious and full of warmth.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Collard Greens | 1 cup (36g) raw | 11 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | 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.
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + chickentop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,756 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-decenal (green, must).
-
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 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
- Collard greens
- Provide the main leafy body and a slightly bitter, earthy flavor to the broth.
- Potatoes
- Soften during simmering, thickening the broth and adding body and starch.
- Onions
- Add savory sweetness and aroma as they soften into the broth.
- Chicken soup or bouillon cubes
- Supply salty, savory seasoning that forms the base flavor of the broth.
- Ham or sausage
- Adds meaty, smoky richness to the broth; it is already cooked, so only needs heating.
The step that matters
Adding the ham or sausage. The meat is precooked, so it only needs a short boil to heat through. Boiling it too long can make it tough and rubbery, and the salty, fatty juices can make the soup taste greasy or overly salty.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, pepper, ham):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Mustardfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, pepper, ham. 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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