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 ↓
Trahanas Xinos
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup
Combine the olive oil and water in a pan.
Bring to a boil then stir in the wheat and tomato juice.
Continue cooking for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the wheat has softened and broken up into the liquid.
Serve
Ladle into warmed soup bowls then place 1 tsp butter in the centre of each bowl and sprinkle 2 tbsp of the cheese on top.
Serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 8 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Feta Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Wheat | not in our table | 0 |
| Bulgur | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
-
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Wheat + olivetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,100 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Wheat + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together468 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-nonanal (fatty, waxy).
-
Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Olive + cheesetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,802 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Frumenty (cracked wheat or bulgur wheat)
- Softens as it cooks and breaks down, thickening the soup and giving it body.
- Passata (tomato juice)
- Provides the tomato base, adding acidity, moisture and savoury flavour.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat and carries flavour through the soup.
- Butter
- Melts into the hot soup at serving, adding richness and a silky finish.
- Grated cheese (or crumbled feta cheese)
- Softens and melts over the hot soup, adding salt, fat and savoury flavour.
The step that matters
Cooking the wheat until softened. The wheat must cook long enough to soften and break into the liquid; if it stays firm, the soup will be gritty and unevenly thickened. Frequent stirring prevents sticking and scorching on the base of the pan.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (wheat, olive, butter, cheese):
- Tomatothe original
- Potatofits about as well
- Capsicumfits less well
- Asparagusfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against wheat, olive, butter, cheese. 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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