Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Carrots.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the tops of the carrots into even lengths of about 2.5 inches and trim one end to a point.
Boil the carrots in salted water for 45 minutes.
Drain the carrots and arrange them upright in a broad saucepan.
Braise
Pour in beef broth or veal gravy to half their height.
Add salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Boil briskly for 30 minutes.
Keep the carrots hot.
Finish and serve
Thicken brown gravy with parsley and lemon juice.
Pour the gravy over the carrots.
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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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Carrot + lemontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,351 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Carrot + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,606 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + parsleytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,866 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Carrots
- Form the dish's main body, cooking to tenderness while holding their shape upright.
- Beef broth or veal gravy
- Provides liquid and savory flavor as the carrots simmer and later forms the sauce.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the savory broth and helps the carrots brown lightly.
The step that matters
Boil briskly for 30 minutes. A brisk boil reduces the broth into a concentrated glaze around the carrots. If it is too gentle, the liquid stays thin and the sauce will be watery.
“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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