Why it works: Pepper and sage 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 ↓
Pork Pie
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan, combine ½ cup lard and ½ cup cold water. Heat until boiling, watching carefully to prevent it from boiling over.
In a bowl, add 1 lb flour. Pour the boiling lard and water mixture into the flour and mix well with a spoon.
Once the mixture is cool enough, knead it with your hands until it is stiff.
Transfer the dough to a floured board. Cut off a quarter of the dough and shape the rest into a basin, pressing it evenly.
Flour a knife and cut the top of the dough level all around.
Dip the pork pieces in cold water and season with salt and pepper. Place them tightly inside the dough basin.
If desired, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chopped sage among the pork pieces.
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 + sagetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,527 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Flour + sagetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the sage
The recipe marks sage as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, flour, egg, pepper):
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Sagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, flour, egg, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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