Cured Pork Belly With Lentils
Pork belly with lentils is a typical French bistro dish. In principal, it is a mixture of different cuts of pork, usually salt-cured, cooked slowly until "confit" and meltingly tender, served with lentils cooked in stock.
This dish takes a good while to prepare, but it's a real treat! It reheats very well, tasting better each time, so do make plenty in one go.
This dish takes a good while to prepare, but it's a real treat! It reheats very well, tasting better each time, so do make plenty in one go.
94 K 4.0/5 (42 reviews)
3 hours 20 min.
Average
5 people
13 IngredientsLast modified on: November 15th 2015
For 5 people, you will need:
- 1
½ onion - 2
1 carrot - 3
½ garlic clove - 4
½ Bouquet garni - 5
8.8 oz belly (streaky) bacon - 6
1 lb + 10.4 oz pork shoulder - 7
½ Morteau sausage - 8
1 lb + 10.4 oz knuckle of pork - 9
10.2 oz green lentils - 10
1.5 tablespoon lard - 11
1 glass dry white wine - 12
salt - 13
pepper
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 20 min.
Cooking: 3 hours
All in all: 3 hours 20 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Prepare the flavourings for the stock:
chop ½ onion, peel 1 carrot and slice into rounds, lightly crush ½ garlic clove.
chop ½ onion, peel 1 carrot and slice into rounds, lightly crush ½ garlic clove.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
For the meat, choose fully cured or lightly salted cuts of pork. The ones you see here are: 8.8 oz belly (streaky) bacon, 1 lb + 10.4 oz pork shoulder, ½ Morteau sausage, 1 lb + 10.4 oz knuckle of pork.
Lightly salted meat only needs to be rinsed. More heavily salted meat should be soaked for 2 hours in cold water, with the water changed twice during that time.
The sausage can be used as it is.
Lightly salted meat only needs to be rinsed. More heavily salted meat should be soaked for 2 hours in cold water, with the water changed twice during that time.
The sausage can be used as it is.
Stage 3 - 2 min.
Put into a large cooking pot: all the meat, onion, carrots, garlic, bouquet garni and a little salt and pepper. Cover with cold water.
Stage 4 - 2 hours
Bring to the boil on high heat, skim off the froth that forms, then leave to cook gently for 2 to 3 hours.
Stage 5
After this, when you take the meat out, you will see that it has become a melt-in-the-mouth "confit".
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Stage 7 - 2 min.
Rinse 10.2 oz green lentils under cold running water in a strainer.
Stage 8 - 5 min.
Take out a good mugful of the meat stock and save for later. Discard the bouquet garni and the garlic, rescue the carrots and set them to one side, then bring the stock back to the boil.
Stage 9 - 20 min.
Tip in the lentils and leave to cook until they are just tender, but still fairly firm (they will finish cooking later with the meat).
Drain the lentils, but save the stock they were cooked in.
Drain the lentils, but save the stock they were cooked in.
Stage 10 - 5 min.
In the big cooking pot, melt 1.5 tablespoon lard on high heat.
Fry the meat for 2 or 3 minutes until browned all over.
Pour in 1 glass dry white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan.
Fry the meat for 2 or 3 minutes until browned all over.
Pour in 1 glass dry white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan.
Stage 11 - 30 min.
Add the lentils, the mugful of stock you saved earlier, and the carrots, then mix.
Cover and leave to simmer gently for about 30 minutes (or longer), but take care not to let the pork belly dry out or stick. If necessary, moisten with a ladleful or more of stock.
Cover and leave to simmer gently for about 30 minutes (or longer), but take care not to let the pork belly dry out or stick. If necessary, moisten with a ladleful or more of stock.
Stage 12
Serve piping hot.
Remarks
If you don't have any Morteau sausage, use any other sausage you like.
There are some, me among them, who like to serve pork belly with a trickle of vinegar.
As I say above, the pork is is even better when reheated but, unfortunately, the lentils turn mushy when overcooked and become less and less presentable.
Keep the remaining stock, with it you can make a tasty 'day after pork belly' soup.
There are some, me among them, who like to serve pork belly with a trickle of vinegar.
As I say above, the pork is is even better when reheated but, unfortunately, the lentils turn mushy when overcooked and become less and less presentable.
Keep the remaining stock, with it you can make a tasty 'day after pork belly' soup.
And to drink?
A red wine from Burdondy for example, possibly a Ladoix "Sur les vris" from Christian Perrin, it is just perfect.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 370 RDI=140 % | 130 RDI=10 % | 570 RDI=90 % | 7,150 RDI=360 % | 29,920 RDI: 360 % |
| Per 100 g | 10 RDI=6 % | 5 RDI=0 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 280 RDI=10 % | 1,170 RDI: 10 % |
| Per person | 70 RDI=30 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 110 RDI=20 % | 1,430 RDI=70 % | 5,980 RDI: 70 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 5 people : 14.80 €
- Per person : 3.00 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Pork shoulder
Like these other recipes: Express sauerkraut, ... See them all 1
Belly (streaky) bacon
Like these other recipes: Potatoes with bacon and herbs, Fried egg in bread, Eggs Arsène, Confit of carrots with bacon, Bacon and cabbage omelette, ... See them all 30
Green lentils
Like these other recipes: Sausage and lentils "en cocotte", Cajun-style lentil salad, Lentil and cold-meat salad, Warm lentil salad, ... See them all 4
Other recipes you may also like
Roscoff salad
This Roscoff salad, named after the pretty little town on the Brittany coast, is a delicious mix of regional ingredients: sliced cauliflower, smoked sausages and, of course, onions.December 30th 201945 K 2 35 min.
Belle-helene in a glass
It's a recipe where you make 4 layers of different creams in a small glass: vanilla cream, small dice of pear cooked in maple syrup, chocolate mousse and whipped cream. It should be served to your guests cool but not too cold .February 21th 2011253 K3.8 1 hour 50 min.
Parcels of fish fillet in spinach
These parcels are made with small pieces of fish fillet, wrapped in a blanched spinach leaf and lightly fried in butter. They can be served with a salted white wine sabayon (as in the recipe of scallops with crunchy vegetables), a beurre blanc, a dash of olive oil with herbs, or any other sauce of...March 18th 2013235 K5 2 hours 25 min.
New leavened bread
This new recipe for leavened bread is simple and delicious, but needs rather long resting times. If you'd like more more information about making your own bread, look at this dedicated page.December 30th 2019903 K 34.3 7 hours
Spinach fritters
This Indian inspired recipe gives a delicious contrast betwen the hot crispy fritters and the cool, slightly sharp herb dressing.May 20th 2015228 K3.3 2 hours 6 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-12-08)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.