Why it works: Pepper and marjoram match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,609 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Veal Olives
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Cut the veal into 3-inch squares.
Mix the salt pork, bread crumbs, onion, pepper, salt, marjoram, and beaten egg.
Place the mixture on the veal pieces and secure the corners with small skewers.
Bake and serve
Place the veal in a pan with enough gravy or light stock to cover the bottom.
Dredge the veal with flour.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).
Once browned on top, add a small bit of butter to each piece.
Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
Serve with horseradish.
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.
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.
-
Pepper + marjoramtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,214 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Veal + porktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,930 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Marjoram + flourtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,265 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Forms the main body of each olive and becomes tender during slow cooking.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture from the filling so it holds together and stays soft.
- Egg
- Binds the filling so it holds its shape when baked.
- Salt pork
- Adds fat and savory flavor to the filling, keeping it moist.
- Butter
- Adds richness and encourages browning on the top surface.
The step that matters
Bake until tender in a hot oven. Veal is lean and can turn dry or tough if overcooked. Baking in a hot oven with stock in the pan browns the surface while steam and liquid keep the meat moist until it is tender.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pork, bread, pepper, marjoram, egg, flour):
- Capsicumfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pork, bread, pepper, marjoram, egg, flour. 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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Brown Bread461 recipes
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
White Bread80 recipes