Why it works: Beans and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,713 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Virginia Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Take three gallons water and add two chickens cut up and one pound fat bacon, also cut very fine.
Cook until chickens are sufficiently cooked for meat to leave bones.
Take chickens out and extract all bones.
Return the meat to the water.
Add the vegetables
Add half a gallon of boiled and mashed Irish potatoes.
Add one and a half pints green corn cut off.
Add one pint green butter-beans.
Add one quart skinned tomatoes.
Season with black and red pepper, salt, and butter.
Thicken and finish
Do not put bread in until stew is nearly done.
Add a good sized loaf of light bread.
When stew begins to thicken, stir constantly until done.
If too thick, add more water.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
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.
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Beans + tomatotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,713 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Corn + beanstop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,211 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Corn + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together938 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Beans + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together655 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Tomato + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 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
- Chickens
- Provide meat and flavour for the broth as they cook down.
- Fat bacon
- Adds fat and smoky, savoury flavour to the broth.
- Irish potatoes
- Mashed into the stew, they add body and help it thicken.
- Green corn
- Adds sweetness and fresh texture to the stew.
- Green butter-beans
- Add texture and substance as they cook in the stew.
- Tomatoes
- Add acidity and a fresh, tangy flavour to the stew.
The step that matters
Adding the bread. Bread added too early breaks down and over-thickens the stew. Adding it near the end lets it thicken the liquid gently while keeping some body, and constant stirring prevents scorching on the bottom of the pot.
“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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