Why it works: Peas and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,887 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Peas Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the peas
Wash the split peas.
Soak the split peas overnight in boiling water with a pinch of baking soda.
Tie the split peas loosely in a cloth and place in boiling water.
Simmer for 2 hours.
Drain the peas well.
Make the pudding
Mash the peas and pass through a wire sieve.
Add melted butter or dripping and seasonings to the mashed peas.
Grease a basin.
Sprinkle the basin thickly with breadcrumbs.
Pack the pea mixture into the basin.
Bake for 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
Let the pudding shrink.
Turn it out.
Serve with boiled pickled pork.
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.
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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Peas + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,887 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Split peas
- Form the bulk of the pudding, and their starch thickens into a soft, mashable body when cooked.
- Butter or dripping
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, moister texture in the mashed peas.
- Baking soda (in the method)
- Softens the pea skins during soaking so the peas break down more easily.
The step that matters
Tie the split peas loosely in a cloth. Peas swell as they cook and need room in the cloth; packing them tightly can burst the cloth or leave the peas unevenly cooked. Simmering gently keeps the peas intact for mashing.
“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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