Why it works: Thyme and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Rich Gravy for Veal Cutlets
Ingredients
Directions
Make the stock
In a stewpan, combine the veal trimmings and water.
Add thyme, parsley, bay leaf, onion, and lemon peel.
Simmer for 1 hour, then strain the liquid into a basin.
Make the gravy base
In the stewpan, melt the butter.
Mix in enough flour to create a thick paste, stirring over heat for a few minutes.
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.
-
Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Thyme + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,973 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Thyme + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,171 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal trimmings
- Release gelatin and meaty flavor into the water to form the body of the stock.
- Butter
- Carries flavor and forms the fat base for the roux.
- Flour
- Thickens the liquid once cooked into a roux with the butter.
The step that matters
Cooking the butter and flour paste. Stirring over heat for a few minutes cooks out the raw starch taste and lets the flour thicken smoothly; undercooked flour leaves a pasty flavor and weaker thickening.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, thyme, parsley, lemon, butter, flour):
- Shallotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, thyme, parsley, lemon, butter, flour. 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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes