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 ↓
Svezhsa Shtchee
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the broth
Put a 3‑pound piece of short ribs of beef in a saucepan with 5 quarts water and a level teaspoon salt, cover and boil for 30 minutes, skimming occasionally.
Take half of a small cabbage, core and trim it, cut into small pieces, and plunge into boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and put in the soup with 2 onions and carrots each sliced.
Cover and let simmer for 3 hours.
Take out the beef and skim the soup.
Finish and serve
Rub 1 ounce butter with 1 ounce flour, and gradually add to the soup, stirring continuously.
Add 1 cup cream and 2 tablespoons vinegar.
Stir well, boil for 2 minutes and serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Beef + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,847 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Short ribs of beef
- Provide meat and collagen that enrich the broth as they simmer.
- Butter and flour
- Form a roux that thickens the soup and gives it a smoother body.
- Cream (in the method)
- Adds richness and fat, softening the soup's flavour and texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the rich broth.
The step that matters
Adding the butter and flour mixture. Flour added directly to hot liquid clumps; rubbing it with butter and adding it gradually while stirring lets the starch disperse evenly and thicken smoothly.
“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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