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Mutton Broth

A clear broth made by simmering mutton scrags, shank bones, salt, peppercorns, onion, carrot, and optional rice or barley.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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Mutton Broth

Why it works: Onion and carrot are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 21,601 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Mutton Broth

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the bones

  1. Trim the scrags of mutton and remove the pith from the bones.

  2. Wipe the bones with a damp cloth.

  3. Break the mutton and shank bones into very small pieces and place them in an enamelled saucepan.

Make the broth

  1. Cover the bones with cold water and add the salt.

  2. Bring to a boil, skimming off any scum.

  3. Add the peppercorns, onion, and carrot if allowed.

  4. Boil steadily for 8 to 9 hours until reduced to 1 quart.

  5. Strain the broth and let it cool until it forms a jelly.

Finish and serve

  1. Heat the broth and add a spoonful of washed rice or pearl barley boiled in stock or milk if desired.

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.

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.

  1. Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together21,601 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Carrot + ricetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,477 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,433 recipes

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

  4. Mutton + ricetop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,019 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Mutton + carrottop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,878 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

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

What each ingredient does

Mutton
Provides the meat flavour and gelatine from bones and connective tissue that lets the broth set into a jelly.
Shank bones
Release collagen and marrow flavour into the water during long simmering, adding body and richness.
Onion
Adds aromatic sweetness and depth to the broth as it simmers.
Carrot
Contributes gentle sweetness and background flavour to the broth.
Rice or pearl barley
Adds starch and bulk, thickening the broth and making it more filling.

The step that matters

Boil steadily, not violently. A steady simmer extracts collagen and flavour gradually while keeping the broth clear. A hard boil emulsifies fat and cloudies the liquid, and skimming scum early keeps impurities out of the final jelly.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, carrot, rice):

  1. Turnipfits better
  2. Leekfits better
  3. Potatofits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, carrot, rice. 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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