Name: Red Bean Roast
Ingredients: 2 cups red kidney bean pulp; 1 cup liquid (milk or water); 1 cup rolled English walnuts or ½ cup black walnuts; 1 teaspoon sage; 1 teaspoon salt

Why it works: Walnut and sage match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 179 recipes. Both carry 2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓

Red Bean Roast

Ingredients

2 cups red kidney bean pulp
1 cup liquid (milk or water)
1 cup rolled English walnuts or ½ cup black walnuts
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Mix and bake

In a bowl, mix together the red kidney bean pulp, liquid, walnuts, sage, and salt until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes until set and lightly browned.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Walnut + sagetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together179 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Milk + walnuttop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,236 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
Milk + sagetop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together719 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Red kidney bean pulp: Forms the body of the roast and sets into a firm, sliceable mass when baked.
Walnuts: Add richness and a chewy, crunchy texture that contrasts with the soft bean base.
Liquid (milk or water): Moistens the bean pulp so it binds evenly and bakes without drying out.
Sage: Adds a savory, herbal aroma that complements the beans and nuts.