Why it works: Marjoram and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,609 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Pease Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the base
In a large pot, combine the split peas and cold soft water.
Add the bacon, roast beef bones, or anchovies.
Add the washed and cut celery, peeled onions, and herbs.
Simmer gently over low heat for about 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
Finish the soup
In a separate pan, fry sliced celery and onions in a little butter until lightly browned, then add to the soup.
Pass the soup through a coarse sieve, then through a fine sieve or tamis.
Return the soup to the pot, add ground black pepper, and boil for 10 minutes.
Skim off any fat that rises to the surface before serving.
Serve
Serve with toasted bread.
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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Marjoram + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Celery + marjoramtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together615 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Split peas
- Break down during long simmering to thicken the soup and give it body.
- Bacon
- Adds savory fat and smoky flavor that carries through the broth.
- Celery
- Contributes aromatic flavor and a fresh, vegetal note to the base.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and depth, especially when browned in butter first.
- Butter
- Fat for frying the celery and onions, promoting browning and rich flavor.
The step that matters
Pass the soup through a coarse, then fine, sieve. Straining removes fibrous pea skins and vegetable pieces, giving the soup a smooth, even texture. Skipping or rushing this step leaves the soup grainy.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, celery, onion, marjoram, pepper, butter, bread):
- Beansfits better
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Lentilsfits about as well
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, celery, onion, marjoram, pepper, butter, bread. 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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