Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Breaded Mutton Chops
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the chops
Clean and trim the rib chops.
Beat the chops with a rolling pin.
Dip the chops in melted butter.
Sprinkle the chops with pepper and coarse sea salt.
Coat the chops in fine bread crumbs.
Let the chops sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour to dry.
Fry the chops
Heat lard in a deep pan until boiling.
Fry the chops in the hot lard until golden brown and firm, about 6 to 8 minutes, turning once.
Alternatively, sear the chops in a hot pan with a little butter for 2 minutes on each side.
If using the second method, let the chops cool.
Dip the chops in egg.
Coat the chops in fine bread crumbs.
Let the chops sit for 1 hour.
Fry the chops in boiling hot lard until golden brown.
Serve
Prepare frills for the handles.
Place the chops in a circle on a serving plate.
Add fresh green peas in the center.
Garnish with parsley.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Bread + peastop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together804 recipes
Shared aroma: hexyl acetate (fruity, apple).
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Peas + parsleytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,885 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rib chops
- Provide the meat that is cooked to a golden, firm crust.
- Fine bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden coating that browns during frying.
- Melted butter
- Helps the bread crumbs adhere to the chops and adds richness.
- Lard
- Conducts heat for frying, producing a crisp, browned exterior.
- Egg
- Acts as a binder so the second coating of crumbs sticks to the chops.
The step that matters
Fry the chops in hot lard. The lard must be fully hot before the chops go in. Hot fat sears the coating quickly, creating a crisp crust and limiting oil absorption, while cold fat lets the crumbs soak up grease and become soggy.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pepper, bread, egg, parsley):
- Walnutfits about as well
- Peasthe original
- Chickpeafits about as well
- Chestnutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, pepper, bread, egg, parsley. 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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