Warm Lentil and Smoked Pork Belly Salad

By David Tanis

Published January 12, 2012

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 1 hour
Rating
4(90)
Comments
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For this recipe, you really do need to use French lentils. Ordinary brown supermarket lentils can be fine for soup, but for a good lentil salad, you want those beautiful little imported gray-green lentilles du Puy. If you must, reasonable substitutes include: the black so-called Beluga lentils or the tiny Castelluccio lentils from Umbria in Italy. These lentils keep their shape when cooked and have a firm, nutty texture that holds up in a vinaigrette. They cost more, but their superior flavor makes them worth it. Indulge.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • ¾ pound smoked pork belly, or good-quality slab bacon, cut 1 ½ to 2 inches thick

  • 1 large onion, halved, each half stuck with a clove

  • 4 thyme branches

  • 1 small carrot, peeled

  • 1 cup small green French lentils, cleaned and rinsed

  • 1 small bay leaf

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes

  • 1 large shallot, finely diced

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • ¼ cup fruity olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and roughly chopped

  • 2 tablespoons cornichons or other sour gherkins, roughly chopped

  • ¼ cup chopped scallions, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

  • ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

39 grams carbs; 37 milligrams cholesterol; 498 calories; 16 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 31 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 535 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the pork belly or bacon in a pot with one of the onion halves stuck with a clove, 2 small thyme branches and the carrot. Cover with a quart of water and simmer gently until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Turn off heat and keep warm in liquid.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, put the lentils in a pan. Add the other .5 onion stuck with a clove, 2 small thyme branches and the bay leaf. Add 4 cups water and a little salt. Simmer gently over medium heat until firm-tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain (discard onion, thyme and bay leaf) and keep warm.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in their skins in well-salted water until done, about 15 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

  4. Step 4

    Make the vinaigrette: Macerate the shallot in the red wine vinegar for 5 minutes in a small bowl. Add the garlic, Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil to make a thick sauce. Stir in the chopped capers and cornichons. Just before serving, stir in .25 cup scallions and .5 cup parsley.

  5. Step 5

    To serve, dress the lentils with half the vinaigrette, then transfer to a platter or serving bowl. Slice the pork belly crosswise into .25-inch slices (save the broth for soup) and arrange over the lentils. Cut the potatoes lengthwise and arrange, cut-side up, around the platter. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the sliced meat and potatoes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon each scallions and parsley.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
90 user ratings
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Comments

vicki

Merged two recipes here. The pork belly I had was already sour vided, if that is a word, so prepared the vinaigrette, lentils and potatoes. But glazed and broiled the pork belly slices with the bourbon glaze from a recipe by Oliver Schwaner-Albright named Crisp Pork Belly. Excellent!

AJ

I make just the lentils in vinaigrette all the time. It's my go to salad for picnics. I use the Trader Joe's prepared lentils and it really works fine. The vinaigrette is assertive so the flavors of the cooking liquid are not a prominent feature. I do agree that the better the bacon, the better the dish. In a pinch, the diced pancetta available in packages is OK.

Ellen

This recipe was so delicious. I couldn't get a smoked pork belly but I did get a local berkshire pork belly and roasted it in the oven for 6 hours at 200 wrapped in parchment paper and 2 layers of aluminum foil and kept it wrapped overnight in the refrigerator. Crisped and warmed it for 15 minutes in some of the fat and kept it warm for the salad. The lentils, potatoes, dressing and pork belly were amazing. Thank you! .

kevin

Can I skip the pork and use smoked fish?

jakinthekitchen

I didn't have access to a smoked pork belly and slow-roasted one instead. And, to be fair, I didn't have cornichons or parsley. But I was sadly underwhelmed by this recipe. The earthiness of the lentils and acidity of the vinaigrette begged for something rich on top, and I think the pork belly needed a salty/mildly sweet glaze...which I'll make for the leftovers.

Ellen

This recipe was so delicious. I couldn't get a smoked pork belly but I did get a local berkshire pork belly and roasted it in the oven for 6 hours at 200 wrapped in parchment paper and 2 layers of aluminum foil and kept it wrapped overnight in the refrigerator. Crisped and warmed it for 15 minutes in some of the fat and kept it warm for the salad. The lentils, potatoes, dressing and pork belly were amazing. Thank you! .

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