Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Peanut Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Cook 1 quart of shelled peanuts in water until tender, about 1 hour.
Add 1 quart of water, 1 slice of onion, and 1 stalk of celery.
Rub the mixture through a sieve.
If you have chicken stock, add 1 pint of it; if not, add 1 quart of milk.
Thicken with 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of butter rubbed together.
Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
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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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Onion + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Shelled peanuts (in the method)
- Cooked until tender, they break down into the body and flavor of the soup.
- Flour
- Thickens the liquid so the soup becomes smooth and creamy rather than thin.
- Butter
- Rubbed with flour, it adds richness and helps the flour thicken without lumps.
- Milk (in the method)
- Adds creaminess and body to the soup when chicken stock is not used.
The step that matters
Thicken with flour and butter rubbed together. Flour added directly to hot liquid clumps. Rubbing it with butter first coats the starch granules so they disperse evenly and thicken the soup smoothly.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (celery, flour, butter, pepper):
- Carrotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Turnipfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against celery, flour, butter, pepper. 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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