Why it works: Sage and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,388 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Knuckle of Veal Ragout, or with Rice
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the knuckle of veal by trimming excess fat.
In a large pot, brown the veal on all sides.
Add water to cover the meat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until the veal is tender, about 2 hours.
Remove the veal and strain the broth.
Cook rice according to package instructions.
Serve the veal with rice and boiled parsnips on the side.
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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Sage + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsnip + sagetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together62 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsnip + potatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together353 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Rice + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together851 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 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
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, rice, parsnip, sage, pepper):
- Carrotfits better
- Turnipfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, rice, parsnip, sage, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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