Why it works: Saffron and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Savoury Rice
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Simmer the rice and chopped onion in the stock until cooked.
In a separate bowl, make a custard by whisking together the milk, egg, pepper, salt, parsley, and optional ham or tongue.
Combine the cooked rice mixture with the custard and add the Parmesan cheese and saffron.
Press the mixture into a mold with a loose top.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until set.
Serve very hot.
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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Saffron + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Rice + saffrontop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together629 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Saffron + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together781 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, fish, parmesan cheese, saffron, pepper, parsley, egg):
- Spinachfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, fish, parmesan cheese, saffron, pepper, parsley, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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