Why it works: Parsley and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,810 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Pease Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the peas for 5 to 6 hours, or heat them gradually in cold water until soft.
Add the chopped onions, parsley, celery, and ham bone to the peas.
Cook and strain
Boil until the peas are perfectly soft, adding cold water if needed.
Remove the ham bone and press the mixture through a sieve.
Add salt and pepper, then return to heat.
Finish
Just before serving, stir in the milk or cream.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Dried green peas
- Form the bulk of the soup and thicken it as their starch breaks down during cooking.
- Milk or cream
- Adds richness and a smooth, mellow texture to the finished soup.
- Ham bone
- Releases savory flavor into the simmering liquid as it cooks.
- Onions
- Contribute sweetness and aromatic depth as they soften during cooking.
The step that matters
Boil until the peas are perfectly soft. Peas must be fully softened so they break down when pressed through a sieve; undercooked peas leave a grainy, lumpy texture. Adding cold water if needed keeps the simmer gentle and prevents the mixture from scorching.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, parsley, celery, pepper, onion, ham):
- Beansfits better
- Black-eyed peafits better
- Lentilsfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, parsley, celery, pepper, onion, ham. 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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