Why it works: Vinegar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Wilted Lettuce
Ingredients
Directions
Wilt the lettuce
Put several slices of bacon in a hot skillet and fry for 2 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.
Add the washed and dried lettuce leaves to the skillet and stir until wilted.
If desired, add an egg and either sweet or sour cream to the sauce before adding the lettuce.
Dandelions and endive may be wilted in the same way.
Cook the macaroni
Boil 8 quarts water in a saucepan with ^ tablespoon salt.
Drop in ^ pound macaroni, and boil 30 minutes, or until white and tender.
Do not cook too long or it will become pasty; and do not stir.
Turn into a colander and drain.
Put back into the saucepan, add 1 tablespoon butter, salt and pepper to taste, and heat through.
Serve in a hot covered dish.
Finish and vary
Stir a couple of tablespoons of grated cheese into the macaroni before serving, or prepare a cream sauce and heat the drained macaroni in it.
Add grated cheese again if desired.
Place thick stewed tomatoes around the macaroni, or add a regular tomato sauce.
Sprinkle Polish crumbs on top.
Use olive oil instead of butter if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 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.
-
Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Vinegar + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni (in the method)
- Forms the bulk of the dish and sets into a tender, firm body when boiled.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, giving the macaroni a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the richness of the bacon and fat.
- Grated cheese (in the method)
- Melts into the hot macaroni, adding savoury flavour and a creamy texture.
The step that matters
Drain the macaroni on time and do not stir. Overcooked pasta keeps absorbing water and releases surface starch, so it turns soft and pasty. Stirring rubs that starch loose and makes the texture gummy.
“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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