Why it works: Pepper and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 50,459 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Eoast Veal
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Season the veal with pepper and coarse sea salt, then flour it.
Roast
Place the veal in the oven and baste it initially with salt and water, then with gravy.
Cook for about four hours until tender.
Finish the gravy and serve
After removing the veal, dredge the gravy with flour.
Let the gravy boil, then serve.
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.
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Pepper + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Veal + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Veal + flourtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,886 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Is the main cut being roasted, becoming tender over the long, slow cooking.
- Flour
- Coats the veal and thickens the gravy as it cooks down.
- Gravy
- Keeps the meat moist as it is basted and forms the sauce served with it.
The step that matters
Cook for about four hours until tender. Veal from a large cut needs long, low cooking to break down connective tissue. Pulling it too early leaves it tough, while the record gives no way to judge doneness beyond tenderness.
“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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