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Irish Stew

A mutton stew simmered with onions, potatoes, carrots, butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Mary Ronald · From a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg) · 6 ingredients
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Irish Stew

Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Irish Stew

Ingredients

Directions

Brown the mutton

  1. Cut the neck of mutton into pieces two and one half or three inches square.

  2. Put the mutton pieces into a saucepan with one tablespoonful of butter, and let them brown; stir frequently so they do not burn.

Simmer and finish

  1. When browned, add enough water to cover them well, and two or three onions cut into pieces.

  2. Cover closely and let simmer for two hours.

  3. Then add more water if necessary, some parboiled potatoes cut in two, and a few slices of carrot, salt, and pepper to taste; cover and let cook for one hour more.

  4. Add a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce.

  5. Ensure the gravy is thick; avoid using too much water.

  6. The potatoes should be very soft, but not broken.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

161Calories
2 gProtein
12 gFat
12 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 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.

By Mary Ronald. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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. Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

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

  2. Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together15,338 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together42,912 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  4. Sauce + oniontop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together10,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Butter and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Mutton (in the method)
Provides the main meat, whose slow simmering turns it tender and flavours the broth.
Butter
Browns the mutton pieces, building savoury flavour on the surface of the meat.
Onions
Soften during simmering, adding sweetness and body to the gravy.
Potatoes (in the method)
Soften during the final cooking and help thicken the gravy as their starch releases.

The step that matters

Keep the gravy thick by limiting the water. Too much water dilutes the broth and weakens its flavour, while starch from the potatoes and meat juices needs a concentrated liquid to thicken the gravy properly.

Swap the onion

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

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Tomatofits about as well
  3. Mustardfits about as well
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sauce, 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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