Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Beef Roll
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop meat finely and mix all well together.
Roll in buttered brown paper.
Bake
Put in pan with a little water.
Bake two and a half hours.
Serve
When done, place on platter with tomato sauce poured over, garnish with parsley.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| 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.
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + nutmegtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,062 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Bread + nutmegtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,997 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Round steak
- Forms the main body of the roll and provides its meaty texture.
- Bacon
- Adds fat that keeps the lean meat juicy and adds savoury flavour.
- Browned bread crumbs
- Absorb juices and help bind the chopped meat into a cohesive roll.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and set during baking to hold the roll together.
The step that matters
Bake with a little water in the pan. Lean round steak dries out during a long bake. The small amount of water in the pan adds moisture to the surrounding heat, helping the meat stay tender while the eggs and crumbs set the roll.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, egg, pepper, parsley):
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Thymefits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Tarragonfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, egg, pepper, parsley. 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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