Why it works: Mutton and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,531 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Broth with Chops
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mutton
Remove excess fat from the mutton and cut it into thin chops.
Make the broth
Place the chops in a stewpan with onions, salt, and enough cold water to cover them.
Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam, then reduce heat and let it stew slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Serve
Optionally, boil turnips in the broth or separately and mash them.
Serve the broth and meat together.
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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Mutton + oniontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,531 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Provides the meat and rich, savoury flavour that the broth is built on.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and aromatic flavour to the broth as it stews.
The step that matters
Skimming the foam after boiling. Foam that forms when the liquid first boils contains coagulated proteins and impurities. Skimming it off keeps the broth clear and prevents a dull, greasy taste.
“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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