Why it works: Pepper and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Cut off the stem end of the peppers and remove the seeds.
Soak the peppers in salt water overnight.
Fill and bake
In a bowl, mix the chicken or veal, tomato, onion, salt, butter, and egg.
Fill the peppers with the mixture.
Place the filled peppers in a baking dish.
Pour a little stock over and around the peppers.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 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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Pepper + tomatotop 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).
-
Chicken + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,031 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken or veal
- Provides the main filling body and savory meaty flavor.
- Egg
- Binds the filling so it holds together when baked.
- Tomato
- Adds moisture and acidity to the filling.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat to the filling.
- Onion
- Adds aromatic sweetness and depth to the filling.
The step that matters
Fill the peppers with the mixture. Pack the filling in firmly but without overfilling, since the raw egg sets as it bakes and helps hold the filling in place. Overfilling can cause spillage and uneven cooking.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, chicken, onion, butter, egg):
- Potatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Chivefits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, chicken, onion, butter, egg. 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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