Why it works: Tomato and cabbage work together. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 333 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Bordeaux Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Mix all together and boil for 20 minutes.
Put salt on cabbage, onions, and tomatoes and let stand about ½ hour.
Drain before adding spices and vinegar.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| 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.
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.
-
Tomato + cabbagetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together333 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cabbage + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,924 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Tomato + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,063 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green tomatoes
- Provides the main bulk and a tart, firm texture.
- Cabbage
- Adds bulk and a crisp texture that softens as it cooks.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharpness and acidity that balances flavor and helps preserve the mixture.
The step that matters
Salting and draining the vegetables. Salt draws water out of the cabbage, onions, and tomatoes through osmosis. Draining after the rest period removes this liquid, so the finished mixture is thick rather than watery.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cabbage, vinegar):
- Mustardfits better
- Radishfits better
- Horseradishfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cabbage, vinegar. 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
Delicate Cake246 recipes
Boiled Frosting69 recipes
Citron Cake68 recipes
Scotch Cake63 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.