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 ↓
Cannelon of Beef
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the rolls
Pound one side of each beef slice with a potato masher.
Mix chopped onions with salt and pepper.
Place a portion of the onion mixture and a slice of bacon in the center of each beef slice, then roll and tie with string.
Brown and bake
Heat butter and fat in a casserole dish until golden brown.
Arrange the beef rolls side by side in the dish, stacking if necessary.
Bake in a hot oven (400°F / 200°C), turning the rolls constantly for the first 15 minutes.
Add another chopped onion, enough water to half cover, and a little salt.
Cover and stew slowly in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) until tender.
Thicken and serve
Mix potato flour with a little cold water to form a smooth paste, then stir into the gravy.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes, remove string, and serve in the casserole dish or on a platter, garnished with parsley.
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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Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef top round
- Provides the main protein; pounding and slow stewing tenderise the meat.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and savoury flavour as they soften in the filling and the gravy.
- Bacon
- Adds fat and savoury flavour that bastes the beef as it cooks.
- Butter and fat
- Browning fats that give the rolls colour and a rich flavour.
- Potato flour
- Starch that thickens the cooking liquid into a smooth gravy.
The step that matters
Stew slowly until tender. Top round is a lean, firm cut; long, gentle cooking at moderate heat breaks down its connective tissue. Boiling or rushing it leaves the meat tough.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, butter, potato, flour, parsley):
- Chivefits better
- Carrotfits better
- Shallotfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, butter, potato, flour, 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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