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Francesinha
Francesinha: Porto's layered steak, ham and sausage sandwich under melted cheese and hot beer-tomato sauce
The francesinha ('little French girl') belongs to Porto, where it was dreamed up in the 1950s by a cook inspired by the croque monsieur, and it is now the city's famous late-night and match-day meal. This sandwich contains pork: thick bread is layered with steak, ham and fresh sausage, covered in cheese slices, then drowned in a spicy tomato sauce made with beer and port-style fortified wine. For an alcohol-free sauce, use alcohol-free beer, or beef stock with a teaspoon of honey. Serve with chips and a fried egg on top if you dare. Chef's tip: simmer the sauce for at least 20 minutes and blend it smooth; it should be thick enough to cling, not run off.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the sauce
For the sandwiches
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Melt ⅔ oz butter in a pan over a medium heat and soften 1 onion and 2 cloves garlic with 1 bay leaf for 6 minutes. Add 1 tsp sweet paprika and ½ tsp chilli flakes and stir for 30 seconds.
7 minStep 2: Pour in 1 cup passata, 1 ½ cups lager beer, 2 tbsp port-style fortified wine and ¾ cup beef stock. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, blend smooth, then stir in 1 tbsp cornflour and simmer 2 minutes until it coats a spoon. Season to taste and keep hot.
28 minStep 3: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 2 fresh pork sausages for 8–10 minutes, turning, until browned and 160°F (160 °F) inside with no pink. Fry 2 thin beef steaks (minute steak) for 1–2 minutes per side. Use a separate board for raw meat.
12 minStep 4: Heat the oven grill to high. Toast 4 thick slices of white sandwich bread lightly. On each of two slices layer 4 slices cooked ham, a steak and two sausage halves, then top with the remaining bread.
3 minStep 5: Put each sandwich in an ovenproof dish and cover the top and sides completely with 8 slices mild melting cheese slices (such as edam), tucking the slices down the sides. Grill for 3–4 minutes until the cheese melts and bubbles. If you like, top each with a fried egg from 2 eggs.
4 minStep 6: Ladle plenty of hot sauce around and over each sandwich and serve straight away, with chips. A common mistake is a thin, watery sauce that leaves the bread soggy; reduce it until it clings.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 1150 kcal
- Protein
- 68 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 62 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does francesinha take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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