Why it works: Flour and ketchup are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,435 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Meat Pastry
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Mix the flour smoothly with the stock or gravy, then add the ketchup and seasonings.
Combine all ingredients well.
Assemble the pie
Divide the pastry in two and roll one piece out very thinly to line a greased flat dish.
Roll out the other piece for the cover.
Place the meat mixture in the center of the lined dish.
Wet the edges of the pastry, lay on the cover, and press the edges together.
Trim neatly and roll out the trimmings to cut ornaments for the top.
Bake
Decorate the top with ornaments and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 45 minutes.
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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Flour + ketchuptop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,435 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Meat + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,777 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Meat + ketchuptop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together443 recipes
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Ketchup + peppertop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,207 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cold meat
- Forms the savoury filling that makes up the body of the pie.
- Flour
- Thickens the stock or gravy so the filling holds together rather than running out.
- Short pastry
- Forms the rich crust that encloses the filling and browns in the oven.
- Stock or gravy
- Adds moisture to the filling and carries the seasonings through the meat.
The step that matters
Thickening the filling with flour. Mixing the flour smoothly into the stock before adding other ingredients prevents lumps. Flour thickens as it is heated, so a well-blended filling keeps the pie from becoming soggy or runny.
“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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