Slow-Cooked Pork with Umbrian Lentils

This is a recipe that I adapted from one in November's Delicious magazine, my new favorite cooking magazine from the UK (right up there with Olive).

The original recipe calls for a 1 - 1.5 kg ribless pork belly. The butcher looked at me like I was nuts when I asked for this, explaining that it was not a common item.

"Do you want bacon?" he asked.

"No, I am making it in a slow cooker."

"Hm, pork loin will be too lean. Shoulder should work."

So, I left with a large chunk of pork shoulder with some nice fat marbled through it and on the top, and hoped it would turn out.

The recipe also called for lentils de Puy, the beautiful tiny lentils found in France. The store did not have them, so I bought Umbrian lentils (above), which were absolutely beautiful and worked well, since they hold their shape and don't get mushy like regular lentils.

The whole thing was supposed to cook on low for 6-7 hours, which is what I did. Well, it wasn't nearly done by then. I turned the slow cooker up to high and the meat finally started to break down, becoming perfect by about 10:30pm - 3 hours later than when I had planned dinner! But the wait was worth it - it tasted wonderful, and the flavors blended nicely. I added the carrots and celery for an even more flavorful broth, and substituted sour cream for the creme fraiche.

Slow-Cooked Pork with Umbrian Lentils

• 2-3 lb. pork shoulder
• 1 T. sea salt
• 1 T. fennel seeds
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 1/4 c. chopped carrots
• 1/4 c. diced celery
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 200 g Umbrian (or Puy) lentils - about 1 cup
• 1 c. white wine
• 1 c. chicken stock
• handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 T. sour cream

Put some olive oil in a pan and sear the pork on all sides.

Remove from the pan and let cool.

Add to the pan the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until slightly softened.

Add the white wine and chicken stock and turn off the heat.

Rub the pork all over with the sea salt and fennel seeds.

Add the lentils to the slow cooker, followed by the stock/vegetables.

Place the pork on top of the lentils/vegetables mix.

Cook on high for a couple of hours, and then turn to low - cooking time approx 7 hours - until the pork starts to break down.

Add the parsley and sour cream to the lentils mixture and stir.

Makes about 6 servings.

I served mine with roasted and mashed parsnips to soak up all of that delicious sauce. Mmmm!

Waldorf Redux

Do you find most salads incredibly boring? I do! Endless bites of lettuce, followed by treasure-hunting with your fork to find anything sweet, salty or textured so that your taste buds don't fall asleep. I get sick of eating a salad about 5 bites in, unless it's a supporting player on a full plate of other things.

Well, here is a salad that stands up on its own. It's a take on the classic Waldorf salad, modernized and simplified to perfection. It comes from my favorite all-time cooking magazine, BBC's Olive, which is always trend-right but never pretentious (why is it that we can never get this right in America - our food magazines are either holier-than-thou or happy-hands-at-home, and nothing in between):

Winter Waldorf Salad

• 1 red-skinned apple (my note: I used a Pink Lady)
• 1/4 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
• walnuts, handful (my note: get the freshest you can, as they taste best. I stock up on the organic ones from the farmer's market)
• watercress, handful

- Cut the apple into chunks and toss with the lemon juice
- Mix together the mayonnaise and mustard, and toss with all of the other ingredients
(my note: I put everything in a large plastic storage container with a lid and give it a good shake. I also add salt & pepper)

This makes 2 small or 1 large salad. Shredded chicken would be a nice protein addition for a complete meal.