Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the tomatoes
Wipe the tomatoes and cut a slice from the stem end.
Scoop out the inside with a teaspoon.
Sprinkle the inside with salt.
Invert the tomatoes and let stand for 15 minutes.
Make the filling
Brown the onion slightly in butter.
Add breadcrumbs, meat, tomato pulp, and seasonings to the onion mixture.
Cook the mixture for 5 minutes.
Add the slightly beaten egg.
Cook for 1 minute.
Fill and bake
Refill the tomato shells with the mixture.
Cover the filled tomatoes with buttered breadcrumbs.
Place the tomatoes in a greased pan or casserole.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
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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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Tomato + vealtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together709 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Veal + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 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
- Tomatoes
- Hollowed shells that hold the filling and release juice as they bake.
- Butter
- Fat that browns the onion and adds richness to the filling.
- Breadcrumbs
- Absorbs juices from the pulp so the filling holds its shape.
- Egg
- Binds the filling so it sets lightly when cooked and baked.
- Cooked veal, chicken, or ham
- Adds savory flavor and body to the stuffing.
The step that matters
Adding the egg and cooking briefly. Egg proteins set with gentle heat and bind the filling. Adding it to a hot mixture and cooking only about a minute sets it without turning it rubbery or dry. Overcooking tightens the proteins and can make the filling grainy.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, veal, pepper, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Chivefits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, veal, pepper, egg. 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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