This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
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.
105 K 4.0/5 (42 reviews)
3 hours 20 min.
Average
10 people
13 IngredientsLast modified on: November 15th 2015
For 10 people, you will need:
- 1
1 onion - 2
2 carrots - 3
1 garlic clove - 4
1 bouquet garni - 5
500 g belly (streaky) bacon - 6
1 kg 500 g pork shoulder - 7
1 Morteau sausage - 8
1 kg 500 g knuckle of pork - 9
500 g green lentils - 10
3 tablespoons lard - 11
2 glasses dry white wine - 12
salt - 13
pepper - Total weight: 5,125 grams
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 1 onion, peel 2 carrots and slice into rounds, lightly crush 1 garlic clove.
chop 1 onion, peel 2 carrots and slice into rounds, lightly crush 1 garlic clove.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
For the meat, choose fully cured or lightly salted cuts of pork. The ones you see here are: 500 g belly (streaky) bacon, 1 kg 500 g pork shoulder, 1 Morteau sausage, 1 kg 500 g 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 500 g 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 3 tablespoons lard on high heat.
Fry the meat for 2 or 3 minutes until browned all over.
Pour in 2 glasses dry white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan.
Fry the meat for 2 or 3 minutes until browned all over.
Pour in 2 glasses 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 | 740 RDI=210 % | 270 RDI=20 % | 1,140 RDI=130 % | 14,290 RDI=530 % | 59,830 RDI: 530 % |
| Per 100 g | 10 RDI=4 % | 5 RDI=0 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 280 RDI=10 % | 1,170 RDI: 10 % |
| Per person | 70 RDI=20 % | 30 RDI=2 % | 110 RDI=10 % | 1,430 RDI=50 % | 5,980 RDI: 50 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 10 people : 29.60 €
- 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
Green lentils
Like these other recipes: Sausage and lentils "en cocotte", Cajun-style lentil salad, Warm lentil salad, Lentil and cold-meat salad, ... See them all 4
Belly (streaky) bacon
Like these other recipes: Stuffed pumpkin gratin, Spinach parmentier, Boulangère potatoes, Confit of carrots with bacon, Chicken club sandwich, ... See them all 31
Other recipes you may also like
How to make ravioli
In theory, making ravioli is fairly simple: just roll out wide bands of thin fresh pasta dough and encase small pieces of pre-prepared filling between two sheets of pasta. In practice, it's a bit trickier than that and having the right equipment is important. This recipe shows you how to make...May 30th 201690 K5 1 hour 20 min.
Quince paste
This traditional French "pâte de fruit" (fruit paste or leather) has a distinctive, firm consistency and is full of flavour, with the characteristic tang of quince. The preparation is rather long, but the result is well worth all the effort.December 3rd 201752 K1 2 hours 3 min.
Fruit crumble
A fruit pudding: very easy to do and delicious: just a layer of fruit with a golden crunchy topping.February 21th 2011363 K4.0 1 hour 15 min.
Fillings for macaroons
The macaroons recipe shows how to make these small cakes, and gives the example of a raspberry filling. Here are several other possibilities: Apricot macaroons, Chocolate macaroons, Mint macaroons, Blackcurrant macaroons.May 30th 2020302 K 24.3 2 hours 1 min.
Sandwich bread
Soft and moist, almost like brioche, it can be made in a tin or mould or as a classic long French-style loaf.October 24th 2017358 K3.9 3 hours 30 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-27)
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.