Cotechino sausage with braised lentils

Serves 6

Cotechino sausage – 1m salami casing – 500g pork shoulder – 200g pork back fat – 300g pork skin

– 2 garlic cloves

– 3g black pepper – 12g salt

– pinch nutmeg

– ¼ tsp cinnamon

– 1 tsp cayenne

Soak the salami casing in water. Refrigerate.

Chop the shoulder, fat and skin into a size suitable for your mincer. Pass through the mincer on the coarsest grinder you have. Crush garlic, grind pepper, then with all other spices and salt add to the meat, kneading well. I often find it good to do this in a stand mixer with the paddle to push out the air. Set overnight in the fridge. Next day fill your skin nice and tightly to make a fat sausage. Tie off with string. Rest it for at least three hours in the fridge and then cook. To cook the sausage, place it in a pot of simmering water or stock and cook for one to two hours or until the sausage floats. You can eat the sausage straight away by slicing it up, but if you wish, it can refrigerate overnight. The sausage is fine in the fridge for a day or two.

Braised lentils

– 1 small onion

– 2 small carrots

– 2 celery stalks

– 2 tbsp olive oil

– 1 bay leaf

– 2 sprigs of thyme – 500g puy lentils

– 1 litre chicken stock – salt and pepper

Chop the onion, carrots and celery into a fine brunoise.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, sweat the vegetables and herbs in the oil over low heat until the onions are translucent. Add the lentils, stir over heat and then add half the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until cooked – about 20 to 30 minutes. Add more of the reserved stock if necessary. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. To serve, slice the sausage thickly, fry in a little olive oil and serve over the piping hot lentils. A scattering of chopped parsley is always a welcome addition.

Wine pairing:

2015 Fighting Gully Road sangiovese, Beechworth, Victoria ($26) – Carly Lauder, Du Fermier