Why it works: Milk and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 26,984 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Stuffed Squash
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the squash
Pare a small squash and cut off a slice from the top.
Extract the seeds and lay the squash in salt water for one hour.
Stuff and bake
Fill the squash with a stuffing of crumbs, chopped salt pork, parsley, etc., wet with gravy.
Place the top slice back on the squash.
Set the squash in a pudding dish.
Put a few spoonfuls of melted butter and twice as much hot water in the bottom of the dish.
Cover the dish very closely.
Set in the oven for two hours, or until tender.
Lay the squash within a deep dish and pour the gravy over it.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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.
-
Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Squash (in the method)
- Forms the edible shell that softens during long covered baking and holds the stuffing.
- Salt pork
- Adds fat and savoury flavour that seasons the stuffing as it cooks.
- Gravy (in the method)
- Moistens the stuffing and adds savoury flavour to the dish.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds richness and fat to the liquid in the dish, carrying flavour into the squash.
The step that matters
Cover the dish very closely. A tight cover traps steam so the squash cooks through and stays moist. A loose cover lets moisture escape, which can leave the squash dry and unevenly tender.
“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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