Why it works: Pepper and marjoram match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,609 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Veal Olives
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the olives
Cut the veal into 3-inch squares.
Mix the salt pork, bread crumbs, onion, pepper, salt, marjoram, and beaten egg.
Place the mixture on each piece of veal and secure the corners with skewers.
Bake and serve
Lay the veal in a pan with enough gravy or stock to cover the bottom.
Dredge the veal with flour.
Place the veal in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
Once browned on top, add a small bit of butter to each piece.
Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
Serve with horseradish.
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 + marjoramtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,214 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Veal + porktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,930 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Marjoram + flourtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,265 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 fillet
- Forms the wrapper that becomes tender as it cooks around the filling.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture from the salt pork and egg, keeping the filling soft and binding it.
- Egg
- Binds the filling together so it holds its shape when rolled and skewered.
- Salt pork
- Adds fat and savory flavor that keeps the filling moist during cooking.
- Flour
- Dries the veal surface so it browns well in the oven.
The step that matters
Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Veal is lean and cooks quickly, so overbaking toughens the meat and dries the filling. Checking for tenderness at the stated time helps keep it juicy.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pork, bread, pepper, marjoram, egg, flour):
- Capsicumfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pork, bread, pepper, marjoram, egg, flour. 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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