Bringing Home the Bacon

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Pig’s Feet with French Green Lentils

Note: Try to buy pig's feet, or trotters, that are long, with half or all of the shank attached. The shank will provide more meat and skin, for a nicer wrapper.

Procedure To Cook the Pig's Feet:
1. Split the trotters lengthwise. Place a bed of mirepoix and aromatics (carrots, onions, leeks, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and parsley stems) in the bottom of a rondeau, or deep straight-sided braising pan. Place the trotters skin side down over the mirepoix.

2. Sprinkle the top with more mirepoix and aromatics. Add chicken stock to cover by 2 inches. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

3. Transfer the pot to a 300ûF. oven and cook for about 6 hours, or until the meat is falling away from the bones. Remove from the oven and cool for an hour to make them easier to handle.

4. Remove the trotters from the liquid, debone them, and discard the bones. Remove the meat, shred it, and reserve. Remove any sinew still attached to the pig's skin. The skins will become the wrappers, so scrape them with a knife to make it a uniform thickness. Refrigerate both the skin and the meat to chill. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.

For the Farce:
1. Dice some sweetbreads and season them. Dredge them in flour and cook in 1/8 inch of hot oil in a rondeau until they are crispy and golden brown. Drain the sweetbreads and wipe out the pot. Add some chicken stock (twice the volume of sweetbreads). Bring the liquid to a boil and add the sweetbreads, some minced shallots, a few drops of white wine vinegar, and some butter.

2. Simmer to reduce the liquid until it thickens and coats the sweetbreads. Add a vegetable brunoise, some chopped chives, and the reserved meat. (If the sauce begins to break, add more stock.) If desired, finish with white truffle oil. Transfer the stuffing to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

To Stuff the Trotters:
1. Remove the skin from the refrigerator. If it is too stiff to work with, place it in the microwave briefly to make it pliable, or let stand at room temperature until softened. For each trotter, place a piece of caul fat (soaked and drained) on a work surface; it should be large enough to wrap around the stuffed trotter three times. Place the skin (outside down) on the caul fat and season the inside of the skin. Place the farce down the middle of the skin and roll it up in the skin. Roll up the stuffed trotter in the caul fat.

2. Heat 1/8 inch of oil in an oven proof saute pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the trotters and brown on the first side. Turn the trotters over and place in a 300 F. oven for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. (They need to heat evenly, or they may burst.)

3. Serve the trotters on a ragout of green lentils garnished with lardons of smoked bacon.

Makes four servings, with shank, or two without shank.