LA GRIVELIERE Cotes Du Rhone 2022

Braised pork belly and puy lentils

Serves 4

500-650g piece of por belly (depending on how generous you want to be) – ask your butcher to score the skin

100g smoked pancetta

1 large onion, finely diced

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 celery stick, finely diced

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

100g dried puy lentils

2 bay leaves

1 small bunch thyme

700 ml vegetable stock

1 small glass of white wine

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp maple syrup

Dry the pork belly and cut into eight thick slices and season well.

Set the oven to Gas mark 4 and put a heavy bottomed pan, large enough for all the ingredients onto a medium heat.

Place the pork belly, skin side down, and brown the fat (around 5-7 minutes). You may need to do this in two batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Brown the pancetta in the pan and then remove and set aside.

In the same pan cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrot until softened (should take around 10 minutes). Add the puy lentils and stir to coat in the fat.

Add the pancetta back to the pan along with the bay and thyme and the wine, turn up the heat and simmer until the liquid has nearly gone.

Pour enough stock to just cover the lentils (reserving any left over for later), place the pork on top, cover and put in the over for 45 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven and turn the heat up to Gas Mark and mix the mustard and maple together.

Put the pan back in the oven with the lid removed and cook for a further 40 minutes, basting the pork every 7 minutes or so using any reserved stock to keep the lentils from drying out.