Why it works: Flour and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 50,459 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Stewed Cabbage
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cabbage
Cut out the stalk entirely, and slice a fine firm cabbage or two in very thin strips.
Wash and drain the cabbage strips.
Put the cabbage into a large pan of boiling salted water and cook until tender (10-15 minutes).
Drain the cabbage in a sieve or strainer, press out water, and chop slightly.
Stew and finish
In a very clean saucepan, melt about a couple of ounces of butter.
Add the cabbage to the butter with sufficient pepper and salt, and stir over a clear fire until it appears tolerably dry.
Shake lightly in a tablespoonful of flour, turn the whole well.
Add a cup of thick cream slowly, stirring.
Optionally, substitute veal gravy or good white sauce instead of cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
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.
-
Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
-
Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 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
- Cabbage (in the method)
- Forms the bulk of the dish and softens into a tender, stewed texture.
- Flour
- Thickens the cooking liquid into a smooth sauce that clings to the cabbage.
- Thick cream
- Adds richness and moisture, forming the body of the sauce.
The step that matters
Drying the cabbage before adding flour and cream. Excess water left in the cabbage dilutes the sauce and keeps it thin. Pressing out water and stirring until the cabbage looks fairly dry lets the flour and cream thicken it properly.
“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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