Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Sherry Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop half a Bermuda onion very fine and add twice as much chopped parsley.
Chop four small red peppers and eight green peppers.
Dress and rest
Mix half a cupful of olive oil, five tablespoonfuls of vinegar, half a teaspoonful of powdered sugar, and one teaspoonful of salt into a dressing, and mix well with the onion and peppers.
Put in a covered glass jar and let it stand for an hour in a cool place.
Serve
Serve on tender lettuce leaves.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| 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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,649 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
-
Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Olive oil
- Carries the flavour and gives the dressing body and richness.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the dressing and balances the oil.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds a little sweetness that rounds out the acidity of the vinegar.
- Red peppers
- Provide crisp texture and sweet, fresh flavour to the salad.
- Bermuda onion (in the method)
- Adds sharp aroma and pungency that mellows as it marinates in the dressing.
The step that matters
Let the salad stand covered in a cool place for an hour. Resting lets the dressing soak into the chopped onion and peppers, so the flavours blend and the vegetables soften slightly. Keeping it cool slows wilting and limits off-flavours.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, olive, sugar, pepper):
- Garlicfits better
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Basilfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, olive, sugar, 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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