Why it works: Onion and mace are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,078 recipes. Both carry eugenol, which smells clove, spicy. The science ↓
Stewed Knuckle of Veal and Rice
6 personsIngredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the knuckle into small pieces or cutlets so it can be eaten the same day.
Break the shank bone, wash clean, and put the meat into a stewpan with enough water to cover it.
Stew
Bring to a gentle boil, add salt, and skim off scum as it rises.
After about 45 minutes of gentle simmer, add the remaining ingredients (onion, mace, rice) and continue to stew gently for 2¼ hours.
Serve
Transfer the meat to a deep dish, pour over the rice, and serve with boiled bacon and a tureen of parsley and butter.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Mace | 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.
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Onion + macetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,078 recipes
Shared aroma: eugenol (clove, spicy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal knuckle (in the method)
- Its connective tissue softens during long gentle stewing, giving tender meat and a rich body to the liquid.
- Rice (in the method)
- Absorbs cooking liquid and softens, adding starch that gives the dish body and soaks up flavour.
- Onion
- Softens and sweetens during simmering, adding savoury aroma to the stock.
- Mace
- Releases warm, aromatic oils slowly into the stewing liquid, adding spice aroma.
The step that matters
Keep the stew at a gentle simmer. Vigorous boiling toughens meat proteins and makes the broth cloudy, while a gentle simmer lets the connective tissue break down slowly into tender meat and a clearer liquid.
“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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