Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Veal Stew
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the stew
Place the veal strips in a skillet and cover with cold water.
Heat gently, ensuring the water does not boil away.
Add the sliced potato and stew for 20 to 30 minutes until the meat is tender.
Finish and serve
In a bowl, mix the flour with a little milk to create a paste.
Once the meat is tender, add the fresh milk and flour mixture to the broth.
Season with butter, salt, pepper, and parsley.
Slice the hard-boiled eggs and add them to the broth.
Bring to a boil once, then serve with or without toast.
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.
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal steak
- Provides the main meat, which becomes tender through slow, gentle stewing in water.
- Potato
- Adds body and starch that gently thickens the broth as it cooks.
- Fresh milk
- Adds creaminess and mild sweetness to the broth, softening its flavor.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk and broth into a smoother, looser sauce.
- Eggs
- Add richness and a soft, firm texture when sliced into the broth.
The step that matters
Add the flour and milk paste after the meat is tender. Flour must be mixed smoothly into a paste before adding it, otherwise it clumps. Stirring it into the broth as it heats lets starch thicken evenly, and a rolling boil afterward can scorch the milk or break the sauce.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, egg, milk, flour, butter, pepper, parsley):
- Shallotfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Chivefits about as well
- Carrotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, egg, milk, flour, butter, pepper, parsley. 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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