Pork Belly with Lentils - Untested

https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/pork-belly-with-lentils-1959261

For several years I've avoided Laura Calder recipes, and I'd like to exorcise that demon. It's attached to feelings of shame and disappointment. When we were still living in downtown Vancouver, I was so excited about her show, really the only cooking show I've ever really liked. I so much enjoyed her take on things, at least the take presented by the persona in the show. Ben encouraged me to send her a fan letter and to invite her to dinner if ever she was in Vancouver. I doubted anything would come of it but I thought, meh, why not give it a try? A while later, in my fandom I looked for interviews with her, and found one done in Montreal II think), where she described receiving an invitation by a guy in Vancouver and described it as 'creepy' because it was an invitation to his and his partner's home. I have no idea if she was referring to me, but ever since, I've felt this shiver of shame run down my spine to think that my invitation might have made someone feel uncomfortable. I mean, I get it, some strange man inviting her to his place for dinner and all, but anyone who knows me would be, like, 'grrrrl, really?!?' I wish I'd followed my gut feeling and never sent that letter. Anywho, I continue to enjoy her recipes when I come across them, and I enjoy preparing the variations I've come up with from the ones I've already adopted. I suppose I should focus on that, on the gift she's given us with her lovely ideas.

This is a recipe of hers I've never made before, which I remember finding interesting on her TV show. Given that I have a lot of pork belly to work with at the moment, it seems like a perfect opportunity to try it.

For the belly

1 (3-pound) pork belly (not cured)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 lrg carrots (280gr), peeled and cut into large chunks on the bias

3 onions (500gr), quartered

1 cup apple cider

Few fresh thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

6 black peppercorns

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsps Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

For the lentils

1 cup French green lentils (du Puy lentils)

1 shallot

1 bay leaf

1 fresh thyme sprig

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Score the fat on the belly and season both sides with salt and pepper. Make a bed in a roasting pan with the carrots and onions. Lay the pork belly on top, skin-side up. Pour over the cider and a cup of water. Cook 30 minutes to get the fat running. Stir together the honey and Dijon with a spoonful of water. Brush the mustard mixture onto the fat, and lower the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue cooking, basting occasionally with the honey, for 3 hours.
3. An hour before the belly is done, start the lentils. Rinse the lentils in cold water, drain, and put in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water, the shallot, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently until tender, 30 to 40 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure no more water is needed. Drain the lentils, and season with salt, and pepper. Set aside to reheat later.
4. Remove the belly from the oven when it's done, and transfer to a baking sheet. Return it to the oven at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes to crispen the skin.
5. Meanwhile, drain the juices from the roasting pan into a measuring cup, reserving the vegetables and keeping them warm. Pour the fat off the juices, using some to moisten the lentils and saving the rest for another use. Deglaze the roasting pan with the vinegar and reduce to a glaze, then add the cooking juices and cook down for a minute or two. Reheat the lentils gently.
6. Slice the belly and serve with the vegetables, and with the pork-fat moistened lentils.