This is a classic Italian cured sausage made originally from pork rind, or cotica, which gives it its name. It is then often mixed with other pork cuts, such as shoulder, which means that it needs to be cooked slowly to keep it tender and release the gorgeous flavours. I ordered my sausage online from Swaledale butchers. It's made from pork shoulder and cheek, spices and curing salts, which give it a delicious bacon taste. Although cotechino with lentils is eaten all year round, it's typically eaten on New Year's Eve to usher in a prosperous year. The lentils represent coins.