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Stewed Kidney with Maccaroni

A stew of sliced mutton kidneys and macaroni simmered in tomato‑flavored gravy.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and tomato 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 ↓

Stewed Kidney with Maccaroni

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cook the macaroni in boiling water until tender, then drain.

  2. Skin the mutton kidneys, remove the fat, and slice them thinly.

  3. Season the kidneys with salt, cayenne, and minced herbs.

Cook the kidneys

  1. Fry the kidneys in butter until browned on both sides.

  2. Stew the fried kidneys in the gravy flavored with tomatoes.

Serve

  1. Layer the cooked macaroni on a serving dish, place the kidneys on top, and pour the gravy over.

  2. Add salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese 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.

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. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

  2. Butter + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,163 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Tomato + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,490 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Pepper + parmesan cheesetop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,322 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together5,442 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 kidneys
Form the main body of the dish, with a rich, meaty flavor when browned and stewed.
Macaroni (in the method)
Provides a tender starchy base that soaks up the gravy and holds the kidneys.
Gravy flavored with tomatoes
Supplies moisture and a tangy, savory sauce that keeps the kidneys tender as they stew.
Butter
Fat for frying the kidneys, promoting browning and a richer flavor.
Parmesan cheese
Adds salty, savory depth and a sharp flavor to the finished dish.

The step that matters

Stew the fried kidneys in the gravy. Kidneys turn tough and rubbery if overcooked. Gentle, moderate simmering in the gravy keeps the proteins tender and lets the sauce absorb their flavor.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, butter, pepper, parmesan cheese):

  1. Tomatothe original
  2. Asparagusfits about as well
  3. Potatofits about as well
  4. Spinachfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, butter, pepper, parmesan cheese. 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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