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 ↓
Lamb or Mutton Chops
Ingredients
Directions
Trim off the skin and fat from the chops and scrape the bone bare for 1.5 to 2 inches.
Flatten the chops using a rolling pin or the broad side of a hatchet.
Broil the chops quickly on a greased grill, turning several times.
Season with coarse sea salt and black pepper, and serve on a hot dish, overlapping the chops neatly.
Optionally, serve with a mound of green peas or mashed potatoes, garnished with parsley or nasturtiums.
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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Lamb + parsleytop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,322 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Lamb + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,165 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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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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Lamb + peastop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together650 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the peas
The recipe marks peas as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lamb, pepper, parsley):
- Chickpeafits better
- Beansfits better
- Lentilsfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lamb, pepper, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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