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 ↓
Stewed Kidneys
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Skin the kidneys and remove all fat.
Cut the kidneys into slices about ¼ inch thick.
Mince the eschalot, mushrooms, thyme, and parsley.
Sprinkle the kidney slices with the minced mixture, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Cook and serve
Melt the butter in a stewpan and fry the kidneys until browned on both sides.
Add a little flour to thicken, then pour in the hot stock or gravy and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil, skim if necessary, and serve with fried bread.
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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Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Thyme + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,973 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 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
- Kidneys
- Form the main body of the dish and brown in the butter to develop savoury flavour.
- Butter
- Fat for frying that browns the kidney slices and carries flavour.
- Flour (in the method)
- Thickens the stock or gravy into a light sauce.
- Stock or gravy
- Liquid that forms the body of the sauce and moistens the kidneys.
- Mushrooms
- Add earthy savoury flavour and moisture to the minced mixture.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the rich kidneys and sauce.
The step that matters
Frying the kidneys until browned. Kidneys cook quickly and turn tough and rubbery if overcooked. Browning them over firm heat builds flavour, while keeping them moving in the hot butter helps them stay tender inside.
“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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