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 ↓
Hashed Venison
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the venison
Cut the venison into neat thin slices resembling cutlets.
Arrange the venison in a stewpan and add the leftover gravy or stock.
Sprinkle with pepper and salt, cover with a paper to retain steam, and warm.
Make the gravy
In another stewpan, combine trimmings, onions, thyme, parsley, and stock; boil slowly for 2 hours.
Strain the mixture and skim off the fat.
Melt butter in a stewpan, add enough flour to absorb it, and stir for a few minutes.
Add the strained liquid from the venison and bring to a boil while stirring.
Serve
Simmer the venison for about 5 minutes to heat, then arrange it on a dish.
Pour the gravy over the venison and serve.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,585 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + thymetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,171 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Venison
- Forms the main body of the dish, giving it its meaty flavour and texture.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and savoury depth to the stock that becomes the gravy.
- Butter
- Enriches the gravy and, with flour, forms the base that thickens it.
- Flour
- Thickens the gravy when cooked in butter to form a roux.
- Stock
- Supplies the liquid for the gravy, carrying flavour and moisture into the dish.
The step that matters
Adding the strained liquid to the roux. Adding liquid to the butter and flour roux while stirring prevents lumps and lets the starch swell evenly, giving a smooth, thickened gravy.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (venison, pepper, thyme, parsley, butter, flour):
- Shallotfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against venison, pepper, thyme, parsley, butter, flour. 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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