Why it works: Parsley and pepper 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 ↓
Savoury Minced Collops
Ingredients
Directions
Make the roux
In a pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a thickening.
Cook until it begins to brown, then add the parsley, salt, and pepper.
Stir over gentle heat until the mixture is a deep amber color.
Cook the collops
Add the minced steak and separate it with a fork until heated through.
Gradually pour in the boiling water and stew gently for 10 minutes.
Before serving, stir in catsup and any optional flavorings if desired.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
What each ingredient does
- Rump steak
- Forms the savory meat base that is tender when finely minced and gently stewed.
- Flour
- Thickens the butter and the cooking liquid into a smooth, lightly browned sauce.
- Butter
- Carries the flour and parsley and adds richness to the thickening.
- Boiling water
- Forms the liquid that the flour thickens as the mixture stews.
The step that matters
Stirring the thickening to deep amber. Flour browns slowly over gentle heat and can scorch quickly if the heat is too high, leaving a bitter taste. Gentle, constant stirring cooks the flour evenly and builds color and flavor before the liquid is added.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, pepper, vinegar):
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
- Turmericfits less well
- Thymefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, pepper, vinegar. 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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