Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 34,122 recipes mention both. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the tomatoes, onion, bay leaf, and parsley for 15 minutes, then strain the mixture.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.
While cooking, slowly add the strained tomatoes.
Cook until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
If the tomatoes are very acidic, add a pinch of baking soda.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + parsleytop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,398 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together25,843 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
- Stewed tomatoes
- Form the main body and liquid of the sauce, and provide its acidic tomato flavour.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and helps carry flavour through the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the sauce as it cooks with the butter and tomatoes.
The step that matters
Adding the strained tomatoes slowly to the butter and flour. Flour that is cooked in butter and then whisked into liquid slowly thickens without forming lumps. Adding the tomatoes too fast can make the sauce lumpy and uneven.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, parsley, butter, flour, pepper):
- Okrabetter flavor fit
- Carrotbetter flavor fit
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, parsley, butter, flour, pepper. 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).
“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.
More tomato sauce recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cream Tomato Soup28 recipesThe 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.