Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Cuban Picadillo
6–8Ingredients
Directions
Brown the beef
In a large skillet, brown beef in 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat; drain and reserve.
Make the sauce
In the same skillet, lightly brown onion, pepper, and garlic in the remaining oil.
Add tomato sauce, cumin, and oregano; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened.
Stir in beef, raisins, olives and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bring back to a boil, simmer 10 minutes, and serve over steamed rice with sautéed sliced ripe plantains and black beans.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Oregano | 1 tsp dried (1.8g) | 5 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,082 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Tomato + cumintop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,272 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ground beef
- Provides the main body of the dish and savory, browned flavor.
- Olive oil
- Carries heat for browning and adds fat that helps carry flavor.
- Onion
- Softens and sweetens as it browns, building the base flavor.
- Tomato sauce
- Forms the thickened, moist sauce that binds the mixture together.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness that contrasts with the acidity of the vinegar and olives.
- Green olives
- Add salty, briny bite that balances the sweetness of the raisins.
The step that matters
Simmer until thickened. Simmering the tomato sauce for 20 minutes lets water evaporate and the sauce reduce and thicken. Stopping early leaves it watery, so the beef and raisins will not bind into a cohesive filling.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, olive, pepper, garlic, tomato, sauce, cumin):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Eggplantfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, olive, pepper, garlic, tomato, sauce, cumin. 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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Roast Beef211 recipes
Beef Loaf175 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.