Zampone e Lenticchie

A truly Emilian dish where, thanks to the abundance of local Parma hams, zampone, or stuffed pigs’ trotters, are freshly available. The skin of the trotter, including the toes, is filled with a mixture of gelatinous parts of the pig, plus meat and spices. It takes a long time to cook (3 or 4 hours’ simmering) and tastes deliciously porky. The alternative to fresh zampone is to buy ready-made ones packed tightly in foil, which just require simmering for 20 minutes. It is best t