Name: Pigeons Braised, and Asparagus Peas
Ingredients: tame pigeons; cold water; sliced lemons; sheets of bacon; fine twine; white braise; asparagus peas

Why it works: Asparagus and peas match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 808 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Pigeons Braised, and Asparagus Peas

Ingredients

Directions

Draw in the legs of the pigeons and leave as much skin on the neck as possible.
Blanch the pigeons in cold water until boiling, then wash them in several waters.
Place sliced lemons over the breast and cover with sheets of bacon, tied with fine twine.
Cook in a white braise for about 20 minutes.
Strain the braise, skim off the fat, and boil the liquid until reduced to a glaze.
Combine the glaze with the asparagus peas.
Dish the pigeons and pour the sauce over them.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Asparagus + peastop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together808 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Lemon + asparagustop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together704 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Lemon + peastop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,005 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).