Why it works: Pepper and sage match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,388 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Baked Tomatoes with Chicken Stuffing
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Remove the pulp from the tomatoes through a small opening at the top and drain in a sieve.
Make the filling
In a bowl, combine the chopped chicken or veal, beaten egg, bread crumbs, a little butter, onion, sage, salt, and pepper.
Moisten the mixture with some of the tomato juice.
Bake and serve
Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture and place them in a greased baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve on a lettuce leaf if desired.
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 + sagetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,031 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Hollowed shells that hold the filling and soften into a juicy, tender base while baking.
- Chicken or veal
- Provides the main protein bulk and savory meaty flavor of the filling.
- Egg
- Binds the filling so it holds its shape when sliced and served.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb liquid and add body, giving the filling a softer, less dense texture.
- Onion
- Adds aromatic sweetness and depth as it softens within the filling.
Swap the sage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, chicken, pepper, egg, bread, onion, butter):
- Garlicfits better
- Thymefits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Sagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, chicken, pepper, egg, bread, onion, butter. 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.
More stuffed tomatoes recipes
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.
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Chicken Broth257 recipes
Chicken Soup156 recipes