Petit Salé aux Lentilles

Petit Salé is a favorite French way to transform modest cuts of pork, such as shoulder, hock, or cheek, by immersing them for just a day or two in brine, echoing the time-consuming and exacting process of curing a ham. French cooks pick up their Petit Salé from the charcutier, but you can easily make it at home. Saltpeter used to be added to help preserve the meat and give it a pink color. A substitute called curing salt, available online, is now used. Or, you can omit a preservative altoge