Why it works: Parsley and pepper 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 ↓
Pea Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the beef
Wash the beef in cold water and place it in a soup kettle with enough cold water to cover it.
Skim the surface as it heats until no more scum rises.
Cover the kettle and cook slowly for 5 hours.
Cook the peas
In a separate saucepan, cook the washed split peas in 2 quarts of cold water for 2½ hours.
Finish the soup
Half an hour before the soup is done, remove the beef bones and add the chopped parsley.
Press the cooked peas through a colander into the soup and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then strain the soup into a tureen.
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 + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Peas + parsleytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,885 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Beef + peastop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,044 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Peas + peppertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,331 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Leg of beef
- Gives the soup its meaty flavour and body as it simmers slowly.
- Split peas
- Break down when pressed through a colander, thickening the soup and giving it body.
- Fresh parsley
- Adds a fresh, green aroma and light herbal flavour at the end.
The step that matters
Skimming the surface as the beef heats. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities that rise as the liquid heats. Removing it early keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting instead of greasy or murky.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, parsley, pepper):
- Chickpeafits better
- Black-eyed peafits better
- Beansfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, parsley, 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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