Why it works: Asparagus and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 313 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The recipe
4 servingsIngredients
Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Drain the thawed asparagus well and pat it dry, then cut any long spears into bite-sized pieces.
Make the dressing by whisking the nonfat plain yogurt, grated Parmesan and prepared mustard together in a small bowl until smooth.
Put the chopped tomato, sliced green onion and asparagus pieces in a medium bowl.
Add about two-thirds of the yogurt-cheese dressing to the vegetables and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
Wash and dry the lettuce leaves, then arrange them on four plates or a serving platter.
Spoon the dressed asparagus and tomato mixture over the lettuce leaves.
Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad just before serving so the lettuce stays crisp.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Asparagus + tomatotop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together313 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mustard + lettucetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,356 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Asparagus + lettucetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together313 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + parmesan cheesetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,490 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Tomato + lettucetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,654 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
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (asparagus, tomato, yogurt, parmesan cheese, mustard, lettuce):
- Broccolibetter flavor fit
- Cucumberbetter flavor fit
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against asparagus, tomato, yogurt, parmesan cheese, mustard, lettuce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.