Why it works: Veal and lamb work together. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and 568 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Vermicelli Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Heat the veal and lamb gradually in a pot until very tender.
Season with salt, sweet herbs, onion (if using), and Worcestershire sauce.
Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain and return the liquid to the pot.
Add the pasta and serve
In the meantime, boil the vermicelli or macaroni in clear water for 20 minutes.
Drain the pasta and add it to the soup, then bring to a boil and serve.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Veal + lambtop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together568 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Lamb + oniontop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,407 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Veal + oniontop 17% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together6,841 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + saucetop 19% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together10,474 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Lamb + saucetop 21% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together925 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (soapy, waxy).
Onion and sauce share little aroma chemistry, yet 10,474 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Breaks down into tender meat and flavors the broth as it cooks.
- Lamb
- Adds meaty flavor to the broth and becomes tender with slow heating.
- Vermicelli or macaroni
- Provides the soft pasta that is added to the finished broth.
The step that matters
Heating the meat gradually until very tender. Heating the veal and lamb slowly lets the connective tissue break down gradually, giving tender meat and a fuller broth. Rushing the heat can leave the meat tough.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
The recipe marks onion as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, lamb, sauce):
- Tomatobetter flavor fit
- Asparagusbetter flavor fit
- Shallotabout as good a flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, lamb, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
More vermicelli soup recipes
You might also like
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.