Why it works: Asparagus and spinach match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 274 recipes. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, which smells clove, smoky. The science ↓
Spring Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the stock
Make the stock a day before.
Break the veal bones and cut the veal into pieces.
Combine veal, water, calves' feet, and ham (or salt and cayenne) in a soup pot.
Simmer over moderate heat for several hours, skimming well, until the veal is tender.
Strain the soup and store in a covered stone pan if not using immediately.
Prepare the vegetables
Boil the peas and asparagus tops until tender.
Extract juice from the spinach by pounding it.
Finish and serve
Reheat the stock, add peas, asparagus, spinach juice, and butter rolled in flour. Stir well.
Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and serve in 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.
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.
-
Asparagus + spinachtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together274 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
-
Peas + asparagustop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together808 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Peas + spinachtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together550 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Spinach + flourtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they 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 knuckle
- Breaks down during long simmering to give the stock body and rich flavor.
- Calves' feet
- Their gelatin adds body and a silky texture to the stock.
- Fresh green peas
- Provide sweetness and bulk, giving the soup its green color and body.
- Asparagus tops
- Add a fresh, grassy flavor and tender green texture.
- Fresh butter
- Adds richness and, rolled in flour, thickens the soup slightly.
- Raw spinach
- Its pounded juice adds vivid green color and a mild, fresh taste.
The step that matters
Simmering the stock until the veal is tender. Gentle, steady heat over several hours lets collagen in the bones and calves' feet break down into gelatin. Boiling hard makes the stock cloudy and tough, so skimming well keeps it clear.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, ham, asparagus, spinach, butter, flour):
- Lentilsfits better
- Beansfits better
- Almondfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, ham, asparagus, spinach, butter, flour. 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.
You might also like
Green Peas229 recipes
Asparagus Soup179 recipes
Asparagus Salad77 recipes
Spinach Soup50 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.