Why it works: Peas and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,887 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Puree of Green Peas
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the peas
Put cold water and a little coarse sea salt in a pot and bring to a boil, then add the green peas.
If the peas are tender, boil for a few seconds; if they are large, boil for 1-2 minutes.
Mash and serve
Drain the peas and mash them through a colander.
Return the mashed peas to the pot, add broth and butter to taste, and stir.
Boil gently for a few minutes and serve warm over croutons.
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.
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Peas + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,887 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green peas
- Form the main body of the puree and provide its fresh, sweet vegetable flavor.
- Broth
- Adds savory depth and thins the mashed peas to a spoonable moisture.
- Butter
- Adds fat that makes the puree smoother and richer on the palate.
The step that matters
Timing the peas in the boil. Overcooking green peas breaks down chlorophyll, turning them dull olive and dulling their fresh flavor. Cooking only until tender keeps the bright green color and clean taste.
“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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