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Kidney Stew

A hearty stew of pork kidneys simmered with onions, paprika, and spices, thickened with a roux and served with dumplings or potatoes.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Kidney Stew

Time30 to 45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the kidneys

  1. Soak the kidneys in milk for an hour, then discard the milk.

  2. Dry the kidneys and remove any membrane, tubes, tough tissue, and as much fat as possible.

  3. Slice the kidneys and cut them into small cubes, smaller than dice.

Make the stew

  1. In a stew pot, melt 4 tbsp. of lard and cook onion until transparent.

  2. Add the kidney dice to the lard with onions and sprinkle paprika and salt over everything.

  3. Cook for a few minutes to lightly brown the kidneys, then add bay leaves and mace.

  4. Add water to cover and slowly cook for 30 to 45 minutes.

  5. After 30 minutes, check if the kidney dice is tender and cooked. If it is done, remove from heat.

  6. If it is too soft, continue cooking for another 15 minutes; you do not want the kidney to get tough.

Thicken and finish

  1. Stir two tablespoons of flour into a cup with 2 tbsp. of soft butter.

  2. Make a roux by blending the flour and butter until well mixed.

  3. Stir the roux into the kidney stew and let it cook until thickened.

  4. Remove the bay leaves.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1227Calories
63 gProtein
41 gFat
150 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 13 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pork100g cooked242
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Lard1 tbsp (12.8g)115
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Macenot in our table0
Waternot in our table0
Dumplingnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

  1. Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,023 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Pork + potatotop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,668 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Pepper + potatotop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,305 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,214 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pork kidneys
Provide the main meat, whose texture turns tender or tough depending on cooking time.
Lard
Carries flavor and browns the kidneys and onion in the cooking fat.
Flour
Thickens the stew into a smooth, body-rich sauce when cooked with butter.
Soft butter
Combines with the flour into a roux that helps thicken the stew smoothly.
Onion
Adds sweetness and savory base flavor as it softens in the fat.
Paprika
Adds color and a mild sweet, smoky flavor to the stew.

The step that matters

Check the kidneys for doneness and do not overcook. Kidney becomes firm and tough when cooked too long, so check tenderness around 30 minutes and remove from heat once it is tender.

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, onion, pepper, flour, butter, cream, potato):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, onion, pepper, flour, butter, cream, potato. 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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