Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Cream of Pea Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup
Cook the green peas and onion with butter the size of an egg slowly for two hours.
Mash and strain.
Add the beef stock and simmer for fifteen minutes.
Serve
Season and serve with a thin slice of lemon on each plate.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Pea | 1/2 cup (72g) | 62 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Peas + oniontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,460 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Peas + beeftop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,044 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
- Green peas
- Provide the main body and flavor of the soup once cooked and strained.
- Beef stock
- Adds liquid and savory depth, thinning the mashed peas into a soup.
- Onion
- Adds aromatic sweetness and savory flavor as it softens slowly in butter.
The step that matters
Cook the peas and onion slowly. Gentle, long cooking in butter softens the onion and breaks down the peas without browning, giving a smooth, sweet base. Rushing with high heat can scorch the butter and leave a harsher flavor.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, onion):
- Sesamefits better
- Beansfits better
- Peanutfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, onion. 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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