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 ↓
Steak Stuffed and Rolled
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the steak and stuffing
Cut two thin slices of steak from the top of the rump, each weighing ½ lb and ¼ inch thick.
In a bowl, mix the grated bread, suet, parsley, pepper, and salt.
Beat the egg and stir it into the mixture, kneading it to combine.
If needed, add a little milk or water.
Divide the stuffing into two pieces.
Shape each piece like a turkey egg.
Roll and fry
Roll each piece of stuffing into the steak.
Tie the rolled steak securely with string.
In a stew-pan, heat a tablespoon of dripping.
Fry the stuffed steak until browned.
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Bread + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,588 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Bread + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,964 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + parsleytop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,765 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
- Steak
- Forms the outer wrapper that encloses the stuffing and browns during frying.
- Grated bread
- Provides bulk and absorbs moisture, giving the stuffing a soft body.
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the stuffing moist and rich as it cooks.
- Egg
- Binds the stuffing so it holds together when shaped and rolled.
The step that matters
Tie the rolled steak securely with string. If the roll is loose, the stuffing can escape during frying and the steak may cook unevenly. A firm, snug tie keeps the filling enclosed and the roll holding its shape.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, egg, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Marjoramfits less well
- Sagefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, egg, pepper. 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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