Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Fricandeau of 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
Trim the veal into a nice shape and lard the top.
In a braising kettle or saucepan, layer thin slices of pork, sliced carrot, celery, parsley, and the onion with cloves.
Braise
Place the veal on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with pepper and coarse sea salt.
Fill the kettle with boiling stock to cover the meat.
Cover with a tight lid and bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 2½ hours.
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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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,173 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal fillet
- Forms the main meat, which becomes tender and sliceable during long, moist braising.
- Pork slices
- Adds fat and savory flavor that enriches the braising liquid and the meat.
- Carrot
- Softens and adds subtle sweetness to the braising liquid and sauce.
- Onion
- Contributes sweetness and aroma as it cooks slowly in the braise.
- Celery
- Adds aromatic, savory depth to the braising liquid.
The step that matters
Covering the veal with stock and sealing the lid. Stock covering the meat and a tight lid keep the braise moist, since trapped steam and liquid prevent the meat from drying out over the long, gentle bake.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pork, carrot, celery, parsley, clove, pepper):
- Turnipfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pork, carrot, celery, parsley, clove, pepper. 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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