1 Smoked boneless pork butt, weighing bout 2#
2 Tbls Bacon drippings
10-12 Small white onions
1 Carrot and a rib of celery, minced together
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Bay leaf
½ tsp Dried tyme
1# Brown lentils
Water to cover
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter
2 Tbls Parsley, chopped
Hard-cooked egg, halved (optional)
Simmer the pork butt in water to cover for 1 hour. If it is wearing one of those stockinette covers, remove it after simmering. Peel the onions. This is quite simple of you drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds, then immediately plunge them into cold water; the skins will slip off easily after you cut a thin slice off the root end. Melt the bacon drippings in a heavy casserole and roll the onions around in it until they brown lightly. Add the carrot and celery and stir for about a minute or so. Put in the cooked ham, the washed and drained lentils, the garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Add water barely to cover (casserole should be rather deep and narrow so that too much water will not be necessary). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer very gently about 30 minutes Check the lentils after 15 minutes, however, and every 5 minutes thereafter so they don’t become overcooked. They should be perfectly tender, but still round as the eye of a guinea hen.
Take out the ham and let it sit in a warm place for 5 minutes before slicing it rather thinly. Taste the lentils and add salt if necessary, then drain, butter, and grind some black pepper over all. Arrange them in the middle of a round hot platter and lay the ham, in overlapping slices, around the lentils. Garnish with egg halves. Sprinkle with parsley and serve very hot.
Serves 6