Kig Ha Farz, Breton stew with Buckwheat dumplings
For anybody who doesn’t know Kig Ha Farz, this recipe will probably sound very unusual. But truth is, behind the funny name “Kig Ha Farz” (meaning “meat-and-flour,” in Breton) is actually just that – slow-simmered meats served with dumplings made from two different flours (white and buckwheat). The Kig Ha Farz is a traditional regional dish hailing from Finistère, in Brittany. It is generous, earthy and a joy for lovers of homely French stews. Although this one comes with a typical twist from Brittany: buckwheat flour! The two flour-based dumplings…
- Prep time
- 1 hr
- Cook time
- 3 hr
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- For the black Farz
- 2 cups (250g) buckwheat flour
- 1 egg
- 15cl sour cream
- ¼ cup butter (65g) (1/2 stick)
- 20cl milk
- For the white farz
- 2 cups (250g) white flour
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup (55 g) sugar
- 2 tbsp (30g) butter
- 25cl milk
- For the Pot-au-Feu
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 3 lbs pork sausages
- 3 lbs mixed meats (ie. pork shoulder, pork belly, corned beef)
- 5 carrots
- 2 leeks
- ½ head of cabbage
- For the lipig
- 2 shallots
- 1 ½ tbsp (40g) salted butter
Instructions
- 1
Fill half of a big stew pot (or Dutch-oven) with water. Throw the mixed meats in it (with the exeption of the sausages). Peel the onion, and poke it with the cloves. Throw the onion, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in the water. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.
- 2
Meanwhile, prepare the farz.
- 3
For the black farz – Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, eggs, sour cream and melted butter. Slowly add in the milk while whisking, until you get a smooth, thick but “liquidy” batter. Pour the batter in the farz bag (or dish towel placed in a bowl), tie it up loosely (as the farz will swell up while cooking).
- 4
For the white farz - Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the white flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream and melted butter. Slowly add in the milk while whisking, until you get a smooth, thick “liquidy” batter. Pour the batter into a second farz bag (or another dish towel placed in a bowl), tie it up loosely (as the white farz will also swell up while cooking).
- 5
Place both farz bags and the pork sausage in the simmering broth and cook for two hours.After the 2 hours, peel the carrots, remove the green parts from the leeks, cut the cabbage in large wedges and place in the simmering broth for 45 minutes.
- 6
While you wait, prepare the lipig – Peel and finely mince the shallots, and let them melt in a small sauce pan, over medium heat, with the butter and two ladles of hot broth. Stir once and a while, until you get a thick, creamy consistency.
- 7
To serve, remove the farz bags from the broth. Cut the white farz into slices, and crumble the black farz into tiny dumplings. Remove the meats and veggies from the broth, and serve with the lipig.