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 ↓
Lamb Chops a LA Milanaise
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Trim the lamb chops neatly and season with salt and pepper.
Roll the chops in beaten egg and then in cracker crumbs.
Fry the chops in deep cottolene until golden brown.
Place the fried chops on a stoneware or metal dish and cover both sides with grated Parmesan cheese.
Set the dish in a hot oven (400°F / 200°C) for 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
Alternatively, hold a red-hot shovel above the chops to crisp the cheese.
Cook the spaghetti in salted water until tender, then drain and season with butter, salt, and paprika or cayenne.
If desired, pour enough strained tomato sauce over the spaghetti to moisten it well, then arrange the lamb chops on top.
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).
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Parmesan cheese + buttertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,163 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Parmesan cheese + tomatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,490 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Lamb + tomatotop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together979 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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Lamb + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,165 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the tomato
The recipe marks tomato as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lamb, pepper, egg, parmesan cheese, butter, sauce):
- Asparagusfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Tomatothe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against lamb, pepper, egg, parmesan cheese, butter, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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