Braised Pork and Puy Lentils

Place the pork, bouquet garni, onion and salt in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 2 cm. Cover and bring slowly to a simmer. Cook very gently for 1 hour, skimming the surface from time to time of any impurities. To ensure the pork is tender it is important to cook it over a low heat and not allow the water to boil. Small bubbles should just come to the surface. Just before the end of the cooking time add the carrots and turnips and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Lentils: Cook the lentils with the bay leaf in a saucepan of boiling water until just tender but still holding their shape, adding one teaspoon of sea salt for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain well and transfer to a bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and parsley and season generously.

To serve: Divide the lentils between shallow serving dishes. Slice the pork and place a couple of slices on top of the lentils along with the carrots and turnips. Skim any fat from the surface of the stock. Pour a small ladleful of stock over the pork and serve with a spoonful of mustard. 

Pantry Notes:
Puy lentils: these small slate-green lentils have a delicate blue marbling. They are considered by many to be the best because of their unique peppery flavour and the fact they hold their shape during cooking. They’re the only lentil to be identified by area of cultivation - grown in the Le Puy region of France. The same variety is grown in other countries including Australia. Look for them in gourmet stores and good supermarkets.

Bouquet garni: a small bunch of fresh herbs such as thyme, bay leaf and parsley stalks tied together with string (for easy removal later), and used to flavour soups and stews.
A dried version can also be made by wrapping dried herbs in a small square of muslin. Available at food stores and good supermarkets.