Why it works: Shallot and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,982 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Veal Olives
Ingredients
Directions
Cut long thin slices of veal and beat them flat.
Lay thin slices of bacon on the veal.
Spread a layer of seasoned forcemeat over the bacon, adding shredded shallot and Cayenne.
Roll the veal tightly to the size of 2 fingers, about 2 to 3 inches long, and secure with a small skewer.
Brush the rolls with egg and fry in oil until light brown.
Serve with brown gravy and mushrooms, garnished with fried balls.
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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Shallot + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,982 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Pepper + mushroomtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Shallot + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,898 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Veal + mushroomtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,446 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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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
Swap the shallot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pepper, egg, mushroom):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Shallotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pepper, egg, mushroom. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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