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 ↓
Minestra Di Riso Con Cavolo Rosso
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in a large saucepan on moderate heat, and sauté the pancetta and the onions for eight minutes.
Add cabbage and stir for five minutes.
Add tomato paste dissolved in wine.
Add all the boiling hot broth.
Adjust heat to low and simmer covered for one hour.
Stir in rice and cook covered for fifteen minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pour into tureen and bring to table.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 12 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
-
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,769 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Potato + tomatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Olive + ricetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,994 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pancetta or bacon
- Renders fat that carries flavour through the soup and adds savoury depth.
- Red cabbage
- Softens during long simmering, adding body and a mildly sweet, earthy flavour.
- Potatoes
- Break down slightly as they cook, thickening the broth and giving it a creamier body.
- Tomato paste
- Adds concentrated savoury flavour and acidity, with wine deepening the overall taste.
- Long-grain rice
- Absorbs liquid as it cooks, adding starch that gives the soup more body.
The step that matters
Stirring in the rice. Rice keeps absorbing liquid and swelling while it sits, so adding it too early over the full hour can turn the soup thick and mushy. Timing it for the final fifteen minutes keeps the grains tender but intact.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, onion, potato, tomato, white wine, chicken, rice):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Chivefits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against olive, onion, potato, tomato, white wine, chicken, rice. 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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