Why it works: Peas and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,331 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Pea Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Soak and boil the peas
Soak the peas in water overnight.
The next day, boil the peas in the soaking water until tender.
Make the soup
Prepare a weak stock using Liebig Company's Extract and add the boiled peas.
Boil again, then pulp the mixture through a sieve back into the saucepan.
Season with pepper and coarse sea salt as needed.
Heat thoroughly and serve with fried croutons.
Add the baking soda
Add a tiny piece of baking soda to the soaking water to improve color and flavor.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Peas + peppertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,331 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
- Form the body of the soup, as their starch thickens the pulped purée.
- Stock
- Supplies the liquid and savory flavor base for the soup.
- Baking soda
- Softens the peas and helps keep their green color during soaking and cooking.
The step that matters
Boil the peas until fully tender before pulping. Peas that are not fully softened will not pass smoothly through a sieve, leaving a grainy texture. Full cooking breaks down their starch and cell walls so the purée becomes smooth and thick.
“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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