Pork belly with lentils
This is an easy pork belly dish where all the work, which isn’t much frankly, happens the day before. Slow cooking the pork belly transforms quite a cheap piece of meat into a tender treat. Just crisp up the skin and serve with some inexpensive lentils. If you can, go to the butcher and choose a piece of pork where the top layer of fat under the skin isn’t too thick. And ask them to score it for you, too.
Ingredients
For the pork
- 2 onions, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic bulbs, halved horizontally
- 600g/1lb 5oz piece pork belly, skin scored
- ½ bottle dry white wine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the lentils
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 250g/9oz Puy lentils, boiled as per packet instructions, drained and cooled
- 60ml/2fl oz white wine
- 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large lidded flameproof casserole, preferably cast iron. Gently fry the onions, carrots, celery and garlic halves until light golden-brown and slightly softened.
Season the pork belly on both sides with fine salt. Place the pork on top of the vegetables, skin-side up, and pour in the wine. Top up with water until the pork is almost submerged, just leaving the skin poking out of the liquid.
Bring the liquid to the boil on the hob, cover with a lid and then transfer to the oven for 2–2½ hours, or until soft and tender. (A skewer should pass fairly easily through the meat, if you push it through one of the scored lines.) Remove the lid, return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Remove the pork from the casserole and set aside to cool on a plate. When it is at room temperature, wrap the pork tightly in kitchen foil or cling film. Weigh down the pork with something heavy (like a couple of tins) and put in the fridge overnight.
Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve and set aside to cool, discarding the cooked vegetables. Once the broth has reached room temperature, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, when you’re ready to serve, start by cooking the lentils. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery (this is called a mirepoix). Cook until softened, but not browned. Add the cooked lentils, wine and mustard. Stir and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cut the pork belly into two portions. Skim the fat from the top of the broth and discard. The broth should be wobbly and gelatinous.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and add the pork belly, skin-side down. Allow it to sizzle for about 5–10 minutes until golden-brown and crisp. Turn over and spoon out any extra fat, then add the broth to the pan, but do not submerge the pork completely. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the pork to reheat thoroughly. Set aside the pork and keep warm.
Boil the broth used to reheat the pork until reduced and thickened to a sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon the lentils onto warmed serving plates and top with a piece of pork. Spoon the sauce around the plate and serve.
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