Recipe: Kig ha fars

Name: Kig ha fars
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 3.25 lb (1.5 kg) salted pork breast from a farm; 4.4 lb (2 kg) salted pork shank from a farm; 3 beautiful garden carrots; 2 large onions (Roscoff type); 1 beautiful green cabbage, well-formed; 3 medium garden leeks; 0.2 oz (5 g) mignonette pepper (whole pepper crushed with the bottom of a saucepan); 1 sprig of thyme; 2 bay leaves; Proportions for the far:; 2.2 lb (1 kg) buckwheat flour; 0.5 oz (15 g) fine sea salt; 2 farm eggs; 1.7 cups (40 cl) heavy cream (30%); 2.1 cups (50 cl) whole milk

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.7/5 (11 reviews) · 🍳 4 made it

Recipe Kig ha fars - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 60 min

Cook 180 min

Total 4h

Servings 8 serv.

Kig ha fars, or kig ha farz, also known as Quimper-style pork shank served with its far, is, as you may have guessed, a traditional Breton recipe. Allow 1 hour and 30 minutes of gentle cooking for the far once it is plunged into the broth: this time is what transforms the buckwheat flour into a melting paste, quite different from crêpe batter. The bundle, well tied, must never be drawn tight enough to strangle it, or the far will burst during cooking.

Ingredients for 8 servings

Adjust for

servings

3.25 lb (1.5 kg) salted pork breast from a farm
4.4 lb (2 kg) salted pork shank from a farm
3 beautiful garden carrots
2 large onions (Roscoff type)
1 beautiful green cabbage, well-formed
3 medium garden leeks
0.2 oz (5 g) mignonette pepper (whole pepper crushed with the bottom of a saucepan)
1 sprig of thyme
2 bay leaves

Proportions for the far:

2.2 lb (1 kg) buckwheat flour
0.5 oz (15 g) fine sea salt
2 farm eggs
1.7 cups (40 cl) heavy cream (30%)
2.1 cups (50 cl) whole milk

Step-by-step directions

1 In the morning, place your meat in a large pot and desalt it by running cold water over it for 1 hour.

2 In a very large pot, place your meat, thyme, bay leaves, a little salt, and the mignonette pepper. Cover with cold water three-quarters of the way up, then bring to a boil and simmer gently for 45 minutes, skimming off impurities released by the meat (skim) as they appear.

3 While this cooks, remove any damaged leaves from the cabbage, cut it into 4 pieces, and remove the central core. Wash your cabbage carefully, then blanch it in water for 5 minutes: your stomach will thank you!

4 Peel the carrots and cut them in half.

5 Peel the onions and leeks, removing some of the green tops. Split them and clean them well. Bundle them together and tie with string.

6 When the 45 minutes of cooking time for your meat is complete, add all your vegetables and continue cooking at a gentle simmer. Taste the broth with a spoon to check the seasoning.

7 Prepare the far: in a large bowl, put the buckwheat flour and make a well in the center (well). Add the salt, cream, and eggs beaten like an omelette into the well. Using the tip of your fingers, incorporate the flour by bringing it toward the center. Form it into a thick ball, then add the cold milk to make it more supple.

8 Spread a clean large kitchen towel on your work surface and place your far in the center. Take the 4 corners and form a bundle that is not too tight, to allow the far to expand. Once the « package » is complete, tie it with string. This operation will take about 15 minutes.

9 Plunge the far into your broth, cover, and simmer gently for another 1 hour and 30 minutes, adding water from time to time so that all elements remain covered. To serve: strain the broth and serve separately in a soup tureen. Cut the meat and serve on a large shallow dish with the vegetables arranged attractively around it. Finally, remove the far from its cloth wrapping, crumble it, and place it on a platter. Each guest will eat a piece of far with meat and vegetables. Keep the remaining broth: the next day, cook some small pasta in it, and it will still make a delightful evening meal.

A chef's advice

In Finistère, some cooks replace half the milk with dry cider, which lightens the far and gives it a slight acidity. Around Carhaix, they sometimes add finely diced smoked bacon to the dough before adding the milk. Two approaches that noticeably change the character of the dish without distorting it.