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Scrag of Mutton Broth

A hearty broth made from mutton scrag end and sheep's melt with root vegetables and herbs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Scrag of Mutton Broth

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Place the scrag end of the neck of mutton and the sheep's melt in a saucepan.

  2. Add 2 quarts of cold water gradually, removing the scum as it rises.

Simmer

  1. Once boiling, add chopped turnips, sliced carrots, sliced onion, minced garlic, pepper, and salt.

  2. Let the mixture simmer for 5 hours.

  3. Stir in chopped parsley about 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Turnip + carrottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,002 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Turnip + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,842 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Neck of mutton
Releases flavour and gelatin into the broth as it simmers slowly over a long time.
Turnips
Add mild sweetness and body as they soften in the simmering liquid.
Carrots
Contribute natural sweetness and colour to the broth as they cook down.
Onion
Adds savoury depth and sweetness as it softens and dissolves into the broth.

The step that matters

Removing the scum as it rises. Scum forms as proteins and impurities rise to the surface when water heats. Skimming it keeps the broth clear and free of bitter, greasy off-flavours.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, turnip, carrot, onion, garlic, pepper, parsley):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Marjoramfits better
  3. Celeryfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, turnip, carrot, onion, garlic, pepper, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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