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Dried Beef with Cheese and Tomatoes

A pan‑fry of dried beef, tomatoes, cheese, and eggs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Dried Beef with Cheese and Tomatoes

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Chop fine 1 jar of dried beef, add 1 cup tomatoes and cup grated cheese, a few drops of onion juice and a little cayenne pepper.

  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, turn the mixture into this, and when hot add 3 eggs slightly beaten.

  3. Cook until creamy, stirring constantly, and scraping from the bottom of the pan.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

464Calories
34 gProtein
32 gFat
8 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cayenne1 tsp (1.8g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6

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

By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

  2. Tomato + beeftop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,448 recipes

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

  3. Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,971 recipes

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

  4. Butter + beeftop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,847 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

  5. Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118,967 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Dried beef
Provides the salty, savory meat base that the dish is built on.
Eggs
Set as they heat, binding the mixture into a creamy, custard-like texture.
Butter
Adds fat and richness, helping the eggs cook smoothly in the pan.
Tomatoes
Add moisture and gentle acidity that balances the rich beef and cheese.

The step that matters

Cook the eggs slowly while stirring constantly. Eggs turn from creamy to grainy or dry if they overheat or sit on the hot bottom of the pan. Constant stirring and scraping keep the proteins setting evenly, producing a smooth, creamy texture.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, beef, egg, pepper):

  1. Potatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Asparagusfits about as well
  4. Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, beef, egg, 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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