Why it works: Peas and mint are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,137 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Pea Puree
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the puree
Boil the water and green peas with mint leaves, parsley, and spring onions for 20 minutes.
Strain off the water and pound the vegetables in a mortar.
Transfer the mixture to a stewpan and add the Velouté or Béchamel sauce; mix well over low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
Serve
When ready to serve, warm the puree in a stewpan with fresh butter.
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 + minttop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,137 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Mint + parsleytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,198 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Peas + parsleytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,885 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Peas + oniontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,460 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green peas
- Provide the main body, flavour and bulk of the puree.
- Velouté or béchamel sauce
- Adds body and a smooth, thick texture to the puree.
- Fresh butter
- Adds richness and a silky mouthfeel when warmed into the puree.
The step that matters
Passing the mixture through a fine sieve. Pounding leaves fibrous bits behind; sieving removes them and gives a smooth, even texture. Skipping or rushing this step leaves the puree grainy.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peas, mint, parsley, sauce, butter):
- Shallotfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against peas, mint, parsley, sauce, butter. 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.
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