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 Cutlets
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mince the veal and ham finely.
Season with pepper, salt, and parsley, then bind with one egg.
Form the mixture into cutlet shapes, using macaroni for the bone.
Coat and fry
Brush the cutlets with beaten egg and cover with breadcrumbs.
Fry in deep hot fat until golden brown.
Serve
Serve with spinach or tomatoes.
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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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Veal + parsleytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,766 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Veal + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Forms the main body of the cutlet and gives it a meaty texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the minced mixture together and form a coating that helps breadcrumbs stick.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp outer crust that browns when fried.
- Ham
- Adds savory flavor and a little fat to the minced mixture.
The step that matters
Fry in deep hot fat until golden brown. If the fat is not hot enough, the breadcrumb coating absorbs oil and becomes greasy instead of crisp. Holding the fat at a steady high heat seals the crust quickly and keeps the cutlet moist inside.
“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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