Name: Vine-ripened Tomato Le Caprese Salad
Ingredients: 1 beefsteak tomato; 3 ounces mozzarella; 5 leaves fresh basil; 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; ¼ teaspoon white wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Why it works: Tomato and olive 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 ↓

Vine-ripened Tomato Le Caprese Salad

Ingredients

1 beefsteak tomato
3 ounces mozzarella
5 leaves fresh basil
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Assemble

Slice tomato to ¼ inch thickness and arrange on plate.
Slice mozzarella about the same width and layer it between the tomatoes.
Arrange the basil between the layers of cheese and tomato.

Season and serve

Season with pepper then drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

236Calories

8 gProtein

20 gFat

7 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Mozzarella Cheese	1 oz (28g)	85
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,979 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Basil + olivetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,063 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Basil + peppertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,294 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 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

Beefsteak tomato: Provides the main body and juicy, slightly acidic flavor of the salad.
Mozzarella: Adds creamy, mild richness that balances the acidity of the tomato.
Fresh basil: Contributes aromatic, peppery freshness that complements the tomato and cheese.
Extra virgin olive oil: Adds fat and a fruity flavor that carries the aroma of the other ingredients.

Swap the basil

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, pepper, white wine, vinegar, olive):

Garlicfits about as well
Thymefits about as well
Basilthe original
Tarragonfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, pepper, white wine, vinegar, olive. 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.