Why it works: Sage and pepper 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 ↓
Roast Veal
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the veal
Remove the bone from the leg of veal and make several incisions in the thick part.
Prepare a stuffing with crushed crackers, eggs, chopped fat pork, sage, pepper, and salt.
Fill the incisions with the stuffing and bind the veal securely with muslin strips.
Cover the veal entirely with thin slices of thick pickled pork, binding it securely.
Steam and bake
Place the veal in a deep dish and set it in a steamer; steam for three hours.
Remove the veal and place it in a dripping pan with the collected gravy.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 1.5 to 2 hours, basting constantly.
Serve
Peel off the fat and serve hot.
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.
-
Sage + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Veal + porktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,930 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
-
Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,527 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Veal + sagetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together670 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Leg of veal
- Provides the main body of meat that becomes tender and juicy through long, moist cooking.
- Eggs
- Bind the crushed cracker stuffing so it holds together when sliced and cooked.
- Crushed crackers
- Absorb moisture and give the stuffing body and a soft, binding texture.
- Chopped fat pork
- Adds fat that keeps the stuffing moist and richly flavoured during cooking.
- Thick pickled pork slices
- Wrap the veal, adding fat and salty flavour that moistens the surface as it cooks.
The step that matters
Steaming before baking. Steaming first cooks the veal through gently with moisture, so it stays tender. Baking afterward, with frequent basting, browns and dries the surface. Skipping or rushing the steam leaves the meat tough or undercooked inside.
Swap the sage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, egg, pork, pepper):
- Sagethe original
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Thymefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, egg, pork, 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.
More roast veal recipes
You might also like
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipesThe 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.