Name: Stuffed Veal
Ingredients: 1 piece of veal from the breast; Lard (for cooking); 1 handful of shallots, finely chopped; Stale bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry; Salt, to taste; Pepper, to taste; 2 eggs

Why it works: Shallot and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,898 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Stuffed Veal

Ingredients

Directions

Have your butcher chop open the veal to allow for filling.
In a saucepan, heat lard and add the chopped shallots and soaked bread.
Season with salt and pepper, and cook while stirring to prevent burning.
Remove from heat and mix in the eggs until well combined.
Fill the veal with the dressing and place it in the oven.
Baste frequently to keep the meat juicy.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Shallot + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,898 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Shallot + breadtop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,245 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together22,662 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Bread + peppertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,964 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Veal + breadtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,056 recipes

Shared aroma: cis-3-hexenol (green, grassy).