Try this French petit salé aux lentilles, a classic lentil stew with bits of salted pork! French traditional cuisine at its best…
Petit salé aux lentilles, or in other words salt pork with lentils.
Yes, this is classic French cuisine! You could translate petit salé as dry cured salt pork – something like that. You can use several cuts of pork for this petit salé recipe such a succulent pork belly, ham hock, pork neck… and so on.
Salt Pork
For my recipe below I went for salted pork ribs this time.
Soaking the pork in cold water with flavorful ingredients is the traditional way to prepare this dish.
The French often add some onion, a couple of garlic cloves, fresh carrot, some peppercorns, a handful of bay leaves and a clove or two.
Then bring the whole lot to a light simmer.
Add the lentils in end.
Easy Petit Salé aux Lentilles (French Salt Pork & Lentils)
Before you start this petit salé recipe, check if the dried lentils you are using have to be soaked first.
Some have to soak beforehand, others don’t have to be soaked. If this is the case make sure the lentils have soaked for at least an hour or two. Lentils don’t have to soak overnight like large pulses such as chickpeas or beans.
Soak the salted pork in water to remove as much salt as possible.
Some supermarkets in France sell desalted pork which is ready to use. If you are using salted pork, soak it in water for at least 7 hours, preferably overnight. Discard the salted water and add fresh water again while the pork is soaking.
Lentils
If you only have canned lentils available, you can skip the last steps of this recipe and serve the boiled salted pork with my French lentil salad instead.
I love to serve it cold and the vinegar dressing works well with the salted pork. Try this French petit salé aux lentilles, a classic lentil stew with bits of salted pork!
French traditional cuisine at its best…
I prepared this recipe in my KitchenAid Cook Processor as well: scroll down to the second recipe, that is where you will find the step by step recipe explanation!
Enjoy!
Easy French Petit Salé aux Lentilles Recipe
Petit salé aux lentilles, a classic French stew with lentils and salted pork!
- 10,5 oz salted pork (350 g), soaked overnight
- 4,5 oz dry lentils (125 g)
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 medium fresh carrot peeled and diced
- 2 cloves
- ½ small onion peeled
- 1 tbsp dried juniper berries
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- a handful fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- pepper
- salt
Check if the lentils have to be soaked first. Some have to, others not. If so, make sure the lentils have soaked for at least an hour or two. Fill a large pan with 9 cups (2 l) of cold tap water and add the onion, garlic, black peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries, fresh rosemary, bay leaves and chicken bouillon cube.
Also add the soaked salted pork.
Place the pan over high heat and bring all the ingredients to a good boil. Skim any foam that forms on top of the water. Then turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer the pork and remaining ingredients for 90 minutes. After that, add the (soaked and drained) lentils and diced carrot.
Turn the heat up a little and cook the lentils and carrots with the pork until tender for about another 30 minutes. After that remove the pork from the pan and drain the cooked lentils and carrots: you can keep (or freeze) that beautiful cooking liquid and use it as a flavorful broth for soups or sauces!
Discard the cooked onion, bay leaves and garlic. Scoop the lentils and carrots onto deep plates. Slice the pork up and add it to the lentils. Serve hot.
Easy French Petit Salé – KitchenAid Cook Processor
French petit salé, where do you think that I tasted and prepared this dish myself?
Where else than in France!
Our last try to Paris is a while a go.
The last three times that we went on a Paris trip we rented the same apartment. No hotels for me anymore: I want to cook with local produce! So I need a kitchen for that.
Cooking in Paris
We rented an apartment near the Bastille area and the Aligre market.
This fresh food market is stuffed with super delicious ingredients. So the hubs and I hatched the plan to prepare French petit salé aux lentilles: therefore we needed salted pork: pork belly, ham hock, pork neck… whatever was available.
We found salted pork ribs and the lady being the butcher’s counter gave her personal recipe for petit salé aux lentilles once she heard what we were going to prepare with it.
Aligre Market
Thanks!
Saves me spending time on google to find the right way to cook French petit salé aux lentilles!
This dish is super delicious: braised lentils, carrots and salt pork ribs.
The hubs chose a perfect red wine for this dish. What an excellent meal in Paris that was! Bon appétit, mes amis.
Here is the KitchenAid Cook Processor version.
Enjoy!
Easy French Petit Salé aux Lentilles Recipe
Petit salé aux lentilles, a classic French stew with lentils and salted pork!
- 10,5 oz salted pork (350 g), soaked overnight
- 4,5 oz dry lentils (125 g)
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 medium fresh carrot peeled and diced
- 2 cloves
- ½ small onion peeled
- 1 tbsp dried juniper berries
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- a handful fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- pepper
- salt
Before you start this petit salé recipe, check whether the lentils have to be soaked first. Some have to, others not. If so, make sure the lentils have soaked for at least an hour or two. Fill the bowl of the Cook Processor with 9 cups (2 l) of water. Add the peeled onion, peeled garlic, black peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries, fresh rosemary, bay leaves and chicken bouillon cube.
Also add the soaked salted pork.
Close the lid of the Cook Processor and select STEW P5. Adjust the time to 90 minutes instead of 10 minutes. Press Start to activate Step 1. After that, add the (soaked and drained) lentils and diced carrot to the bowl.
Close the lid and press Start to activate Step 2. After that remove the pork from the bowl and drain the cooked lentils and carrots: you can keep (or freeze) that beautiful cooking liquid and use it as a flavorful broth for soups or sauces!
Discard the cooked onion, bay leaves and garlic. Scoop the lentils and carrots onto deep plates. Slice the pork up and add it to the lentils. Serve hot.
Easy Sausage & Lentil Stew
True, this dish below might kind of look like the French petit salé aux lentilles here but it is not.
Here is a silky smooth and hearty sausage stew with soft and smooth braised lentils, bacon and mustard… Another recipe that I keep aside for when I really need to make it through yet another chilly Belgian autumn day!
Braised sausages, bacon and lentils, the perfect food match?
It is definitely a delicious cozy plate of comfort food! My sausage and lentil stew with bacon and mustard, the perfect comfy winter meal…
Winter Comfort Food
Before you start preparing this lentil and sausage stew, I suggest that you better first check whether the dried lentils that you are using have to be soaked first. Some have to soak beforehand, others don’t have to be soaked at all.
If this is the case, then make sure that the lentils have soaked for at least an hour or two before you start the recipe.
So here you go: a steaming bowl full of juicy braised sausages, salty bacon bits and soft stewed lentils… Pour yourself a generous glass of strong red wine. It is dinner time…
Dig in and enjoy!
Easy Sausage & Lentil Stew Recipe
Sausage and lentil stew with bacon and mustard, the perfect comfy winter meal…
- 2 large fresh sausages
- 10,5 oz dry lentils (350 g)
- 3,5 oz salted bacon (100 g), diced
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 medium fresh carrot finely diced
- 9 oz canned chopped tomatoes (250 g)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or thyme
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock (120 ml)
- 1 tbsp strong mustard
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
Check whether the lentils have to be soaked first. Some have to, others not. If so, make sure the lentils have soaked for at least an hour or two. Add some olive oil to a large non-stick pan. Place it over medium heat until hot. Then add the sausages and bacon.
Brown the meat for 6 minutes until golden. Remove the sausages from the pan and put them aside until later. Add the onion, garlic and diced carrot to the bacon.
Fry the ingredients for a few minutes. Season with pepper and salt. Then also add the drained lentils and thyme (or rosemary).
Stir well and cook the lentils and vegetables for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
Also add the stock and mustard.
Stir all the ingredients and bring the lentil stew to a good boil. Once boiling, turn the heat low and cover the pan. Simmer the lentils for 45 minutes. Then add the sausages again.
Cook the lentil and sausage stew for another 30 minutes until the lentils are very tender. Check regularly. Add extra water or chicken stock if necessary. Then check the seasoning. Add extra pepper or salt to taste. Scoop the lentil stew and sausages onto warm plates and serve hot.
Fantastic recipe and the bonus one with the sausage is also amazing!!! What a post! We both love lentils and we can’t wait to give this a try! Pinned!
xoxoxo
C’est vraiment super bon ! on adore.