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 ↓
Veal Cutlet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cutlet
Season the veal cutlet with salt and pepper.
Roll the cutlet in breadcrumbs, dip it in the beaten egg, then roll it again in breadcrumbs.
Melt the fat in a frying pan over medium heat and brown the cutlet on both sides.
Make the sauce
In a separate pan, melt the butter, then add flour and cook until golden.
Gradually add stock or water, stirring until smooth.
Strain the sauce over the cutlet.
Cook and serve
Cook the cutlet just below boiling for 1 hour or until tender.
Add Worcestershire sauce and chopped parsley just before serving.
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.
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together15,338 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal cutlet
- Provides the main meat, which becomes tender through long, gentle simmering.
- Egg
- Binds the breadcrumb coating to the cutlet so it adheres during browning.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, browned coating on the outside of the cutlet.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavor to the sauce base and helps it brown lightly.
- Flour
- Thickens the stock into a smooth sauce when cooked with the butter.
The step that matters
Cook the cutlet just below boiling. Holding the liquid just under a boil keeps the meat gently cooking and tender; a hard boil toughens the protein and can break up the coating.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pepper, egg, butter, flour, sauce):
- Capersfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Tarragonfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pepper, egg, butter, flour, sauce. 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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes