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
Place the veal strips in a skillet and cover with cold water.
Add the sliced potato and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, ensuring the water does not boil away.
Once the meat is tender, add the fresh milk and flour mixed with a little milk.
Season with butter, salt, pepper, and parsley if desired.
Slice the hard-boiled eggs and add them to the broth.
Bring the stew to a boil once and 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).
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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).
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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 protein, which becomes tender during the gentle simmer.
- Potato
- Adds body and starch that gently thickens the broth as it cooks.
- Eggs
- Add richness and a firm, sliced texture to the finished stew.
- Fresh milk
- Adds creaminess and mild sweetness, softening the broth's flavour.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk and broth so the stew becomes smoother and more cohesive.
The step that matters
Add the milk and flour mixture once the meat is tender. Flour mixed with milk and stirred into hot liquid can clump if added unevenly. Dispersing it in a little cold milk first helps it thicken the broth smoothly, and gentle heat keeps the milk from scorching or curdling.
Swap the parsley
The recipe marks parsley as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, potato, egg, milk, flour, butter, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Cinnamonfits less well
- Turmericfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, potato, egg, milk, flour, butter, pepper. 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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