Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Green Peas Soup
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the soup
In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent.
Stir in the green peas and vegetable broth.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Blend the soup until smooth, then season with salt and pepper.
Serve
Serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs.
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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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Peas + oniontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,460 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Peas + peppertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,331 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
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
- Provide the main body, sweet flavour and green colour of the soup.
- Vegetable broth
- Supplies the liquid that cooks the peas and sets the soup's thin, pourable texture.
- Onion
- Adds savoury depth as it softens and turns translucent in the butter.
- Butter
- Carries the onion's flavour and adds richness to the soup.
The step that matters
Blend the soup until smooth. Blending breaks down the cooked peas and their cell walls, which gives a smooth, uniform texture. Stopping too early leaves a grainy or lumpy soup.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, butter, pepper):
- Black-eyed peafits better
- Sesamefits better
- Beansfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, butter, pepper. 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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