Name: Petit salé aux lentilles du Puy
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 265 min
Yield: 6 main-course portions
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 900 g commercially cured boneless pork shoulder, rind-on purchased weight; product label specifies a 2-hour soak before cooking; 5200 ml water, 2500 ml for desalting, 1500 ml for pork cooking, 1200 ml for lentils; soak water is discarded; 150 g onion, halved; 100 g carrot, thick slices; 10 g garlic, lightly crushed; 8 g bouquet garni, thyme, bay and parsley tied together; 400 g Lentille verte du Puy AOP, dry, rinsed; do not pre-soak; 100 g carrot, small dice; 80 g onion, small dice; 100 g celery stalk, small dice; 30 g Dijon mustard, for serving; 600 ml pork cooking broth, strained and degreased amount retained in the final dish

Petit salé aux lentilles du Puy — served in a bowl

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 120 minutes

Total 265 minutes

Yield 6 main-course portions

Ingredients ↓

Introduction and overview

Petit salé aux lentilles du Puy

Petit salé aux lentilles du Puy is a pork-and-lentil main course in which the cured meat and the protected lentils both need their own controls. The pork is commercially cured, traceable and boneless but rind-on; there are no home-curing directions. The lentils are genuine Lentille verte du Puy AOP from Haute-Loire, valued for a thin skin and an interior that cooks tender without becoming floury when handled gently.

Desalting is not treated as a universal fixed ritual. The cured shoulder used here is explicitly labelled for a two-hour soak, so it spends those two hours under refrigeration in 2.5 litres of cold water, and that water is discarded. A differently cured product may need no soak or a different one. After desalting, the pork simmers with onion, carrot, garlic and a bouquet garni until tender and reaches at least 85 °C in this recipe, well beyond the minimum intact-pork safety basis of 63 °C followed by a three-minute rest.

The lentils cook separately in fresh water with diced carrot, onion and celery and are left unsalted until tender. Only after draining are they moistened with exactly 600 ml of strained, degreased pork cooking broth. That sequencing keeps the lentils intact and makes the salt contribution reproducible. Dijon mustard is served at a measured 5 g per portion. Ordinary green lentils can produce a good adaptation, but they cannot be labelled Lentille verte du Puy AOP.

Success points

Treat desalting as a property of the purchased cured pork, not a fixed rule. Cook the lentils gently and separately, then add only the measured 600 ml broth after they are tender.

Ingredients

Pork

900 g commercially cured boneless pork shoulder, rind-on purchased weight; product label specifies a 2-hour soak before cooking
5200 ml water, 2500 ml for desalting, 1500 ml for pork cooking, 1200 ml for lentils; soak water is discarded
150 g onion, halved
100 g carrot, thick slices
10 g garlic, lightly crushed
8 g bouquet garni, thyme, bay and parsley tied together

Lentils and serving

400 g Lentille verte du Puy AOP, dry, rinsed; do not pre-soak
100 g carrot, small dice
80 g onion, small dice
100 g celery stalk, small dice
30 g Dijon mustard, for serving
600 ml pork cooking broth, strained and degreased amount retained in the final dish

Method

Directions

Desalt only as labelled. Because this purchased cured pork is specifically labelled for a 2-hour soak, submerge it in 2500 ml cold water in the refrigerator for 120 minutes, then discard the soak water and rinse the meat briefly. The meat is fully submerged during the soak and is still cold when drained. Working temperature: 4 °C. Soak under refrigeration and discard the salty water.
Simmer the pork until tender. Put the soaked pork in a clean pot with 1500 ml fresh water, 150 g onion, 100 g carrot, garlic and bouquet garni. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer, skim once, then cook for about 90 minutes. The pork is fork-tender and its centre reaches at least 85 °C in this recipe. Working temperature: 85–90 °C. For intact pork the minimum safety basis is 63 °C followed by a 3-minute rest; this recipe continues to 85 °C or above for tenderness.
Measure the retained broth. Lift out the pork, remove and discard the bouquet garni, and strain the cooking liquid. Degrease and measure exactly 600 ml broth for the finished lentils. The measured 600 ml broth is clear enough to moisten the lentils without a heavy fat layer. Handle the hot pork and broth with care.
Cook the lentils separately. Combine the rinsed Lentille verte du Puy AOP with 1200 ml fresh water, 100 g diced carrot, 80 g diced onion and 100 g celery. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook about 25 minutes without adding salt. The lentils are tender but still intact, with no floury collapse. Working temperature: 95 °C. Taste only with a clean spoon and avoid vigorous boiling.
Finish with broth and mustard. Drain any excess lentil water, fold in the measured 600 ml degreased pork broth and warm for 5 minutes. Slice the pork into six equal edible portions, allowing for rind and cooking loss, and serve over the lentils with 5 g Dijon mustard per portion. The lentils remain distinct and moist rather than soupy, and the pork is hot and tender. Working temperature: 80 °C. Taste before adding any extra salt; the cured pork and broth may already provide enough sodium.

Serving and planning

Practical

Serving and planning

Serve hot as six main-course portions, with 5 g Dijon mustard alongside each portion.

Serving and planning

The pork can be simmered one day ahead, cooled quickly in a little cooking broth and refrigerated; reheat gently before finishing the lentils.

Storage and reheating

Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 days. Reheat pork and lentils to steaming hot, adding a small measured splash of reserved broth if needed rather than extra salt.

Substitutions

Ordinary green lentils may be used as a practical adaptation with cooking time adjusted to their package directions, but they do not retain the Lentille verte du Puy AOP identity.

Substitutions

A different commercially cured pork cut can be used only if its bone/rind state and desalting instructions are recalculated; do not transfer this 2-hour soak automatically.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 main-course portion
Calories538 kcal
Carbohydrate47.0 g
Protein44.8 g
Fat18.5 g
Fibre9.2 g
Sodium1065 mg

Allergens and food safety

Use commercially cured, traceable pork; do not provide home-curing instructions.

Follow the purchased product's desalting directions and discard soak water.

For intact pork, 63 °C plus a 3-minute rest is the safety minimum; this recipe cooks to at least 85 °C for tenderness.

Cool cooked pork and leftovers rapidly and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Allergens: celery, mustard.

FAQ

Do Lentille verte du Puy need soaking?

No soaking is used here. Rinse them and cook them gently in fresh water until tender but intact.

Can ordinary green lentils be used?

Yes as an adaptation, with cooking time adjusted to their package directions, but they do not carry the Lentille verte du Puy AOP identity.

Closing

Result: Commercially cured pork shoulder is desalinated only as its label requires, simmered until tender, then served with intact Lentille verte du Puy AOP, vegetables and a measured amount of degreased pork broth.
Decisive technique: Treat desalting as a property of the purchased cured pork, not a fixed rule. Cook the lentils gently and separately, then add only the measured 600 ml broth after they are tender.

Petit salé aux lentilles du Puy

Success points

Ingredients

Pork

Lentils and serving

Method

Practical

Serving and planning

Serving and planning

Storage and reheating

Substitutions

Substitutions

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

FAQ

Do Lentille verte du Puy need soaking?

Can ordinary green lentils be used?

Closing

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