Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
The Invalid's Cutlet
1 personIngredients
Directions
Cut the cutlet from a very nice loin or neck of mutton and remove all fat.
Put the cutlet into a stewpan with 2 teacupfuls of water, a very small stick of celery, pepper, and salt to taste.
Stew the mixture very gently for nearly 2 hours, skimming off every particle of fat that may rise to the surface from time to time.
Cut the celery into thin slices before adding it to the meat, then add the sliced celery to the stewpan.
Ensure not to add too much celery, or the dish will not be good.
Avoid letting the water boil fast, or the cutlet will become hard.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton cutlet
- Provides the main meat flavour and, when stewed gently, a tender texture.
- Celery
- Adds a mild, aromatic flavour to the stewing liquid and meat.
The step that matters
Keep the water barely simmering. Fast boiling makes the meat's muscle proteins contract tightly and squeeze out moisture, so the cutlet turns hard and dry. Gentle heat lets the connective tissue soften slowly while the meat stays 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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