Why it works: Tomato and wine are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,759 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Hare Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare a better stock or clear stock.
Cut the meat from the hare joints into equal slices and strips.
Make the soup
Add the meat to the soup along with the tomato jelly and fresh tomato pulp.
Incorporate the wine and forcemeat balls, cover, and let sit for a few minutes without boiling.
If using hare blood, mix it gradually into the soup after warming it slightly, then keep the soup at a simmer.
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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Tomato + winetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,759 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Meat + tomatotop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,438 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Meat + winetop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together754 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hare meat
- Provides the main flavour and substance of the soup once sliced and simmered.
- Tomato jelly
- Adds sweetness and acidity that balance the rich, gamey stock.
- Wine
- Adds acidity and aroma that lift the depth of the stock.
- Forcemeat balls
- Add body and a tender, savoury texture to the soup.
The step that matters
Adding the hare blood. If blood is stirred in while the soup is too hot or allowed to boil, it can curdle and turn grainy. Warming it slightly first and mixing gradually keeps it smooth, and a gentle simmer afterwards avoids boiling it.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, wine):
- Tomatothe original
- Shallotfits about as well
- Potatofits less well
- Asparagusfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, wine. 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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