Mid-November, we reach the winter time when I start to feel like eating hearty and warm dishes . In my Top 3 traditional dishes, I had already given the recipe for Bœuf Bourguignon (French beef stew with red wine sauce) and Blanquette (French veal stew), then the only dish missing was the Petit Salé. Only one thing was missing, to return to my parents' because I don't have a pressure cooker at home and this recipe goes 2 times faster in a pressure cooker. This is one of my dad's favorite dishes when my mother is away, a tin of lentils heated in a pan, a Morteau sausage cut into small pieces and dinner is ready. For once, I wanted to prepare it from A to Z, and above all I really wanted meat cooked so perfectly that it would shread. But if you also have an urge for Petit Salé, my father's the technique works as well!

Petit salé

Prep: 15mins
Cooking: 20mins (pressure-cooker) + 7mins (pressure-cooker) + 15mins

Serves 6-7 people:

- 1,2kg of pork semi-salted
- 1 Morteau sausage
- 500g green (Le Puy) lentils
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 carrots
- 4 cloves
- 1 bouquet garni (thyme, rosemary, laurel)
- pepper

Soak the semi-salted pork in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water after 30 minutes.

Peel the onions, garlic and carrots. Prepare the garlic, cut the onions in 2 and detail the carrots into 5mm-thick slices . Rinse the meat.

Plant a clove in each half of the onion. Add the onions, garlic, sliced carrots, the herbs and the pork in a pressure cooker, cover with water and close the pressure cooker. Place over high heat until it starts making a faint sound. Reduce heat when you hear the first whistle and leave on medium heat for 20mins.

Stop heating, open the valve (be careful not to open it in your direction) and allow steam to evaporate for a few moments before attempting to open the pressure cooker. Then open the pressure cooker, pour in the green lentils and close the lid. Place over high heat until it starts making a faint sound. Reduce heat when you hear the first whistle and leave on medium heat for the time indicated on the pack of lentils for a pressure cooker (7min for mine). Stop heating, open the valve (be careful not to open it in your direction) and allow steam to evaporate for a few moments before attempting to open the pressure cooker. Set aside until dinner.

15mins before serving, place the Petit salé over medium heat with the lentils (do not cover) in order to heat it up and add the Morteau sausage . Let it simmer 15 minutes and serve immediately.

The cooking times are given for a pressure cooker, double them for cooking in a traditional casserole.