The dish to eat in Porto · Portugal

Francesinha

Name: Francesinha (Porto's sauced steak sandwich)
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Portugal
Ingredients: For the sauce: 2 tbsp butter, 1 onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 bottle (12 oz/355 ml) lager, 1 cup (240 ml) beef stock, 1 cup (240 g) tomato passata, 2 tbsp tawny port, 1 tbsp brandy, 1 tsp piri-piri or hot sauce, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold milk, salt; 8 thick slices sturdy white sandwich bread; 4 thin beefsteaks (about 4 oz/115 g each), pounded thin; 4 fresh pork sausages (linguiça if you can find it), split lengthwise; 8 slices cooked ham; 4 slices mortadella or other cold cut; 12 to 16 thin slices mild melting cheese (flamengo, Edam or mozzarella); 4 eggs; Oil, salt and pepper; French fries, to serve

Photo: Ih8connecticut, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

A huge sandwich of steak, ham and sausage under melted cheese, drowned in a hot, spicy beer-and-tomato sauce, usually with a fried egg and fries.

A returning emigrant invented the francesinha (the 'little Frenchie') in Porto in the 1950s, inspired by the croque monsieur. It has become the city's pride: every café has its own secret sauce.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Porto

Café Santiago
Rua de Passos Manuel, Baixa
Order: Francesinha especial with egg and fries, and a cold Super Bock
The most famous francesinha in Porto; expect a line at lunch.
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Bufete Fase
Rua de Santa Catarina, Bonfim
Order: The francesinha, which is the only thing they make
A tiny old-school spot often called the best and most traditional in the city.
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Brasão
Rua de Ramalho Ortigão, Aliados
Order: Francesinha with egg and the house sauce
A cervejaria in a handsome old room, a favorite for its rich sauce.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best francesinha in Porto, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Francesinha (Porto's sauced steak sandwich)

Serves 4Time 1 hr 15 min

The sauce is the soul: beer, tomato, a splash of port and brandy, and a little chili, simmered with the meat juices. The sandwich gets stacked, covered in cheese, melted in the oven and swamped in sauce.

Pans and tools

Large skillet
Saucepan
Blender or stick blender
4 ovenproof plates or shallow dishes

You’ll need

For the sauce: 2 tbsp butter, 1 onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 bottle (12 oz/355 ml) lager, 1 cup (240 ml) beef stock, 1 cup (240 g) tomato passata, 2 tbsp tawny port, 1 tbsp brandy, 1 tsp piri-piri or hot sauce, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold milk, salt
8 thick slices sturdy white sandwich bread
4 thin beefsteaks (about 4 oz/115 g each), pounded thin
4 fresh pork sausages (linguiça if you can find it), split lengthwise
8 slices cooked ham
4 slices mortadella or other cold cut
12 to 16 thin slices mild melting cheese (flamengo, Edam or mozzarella)
4 eggs
Oil, salt and pepper
French fries, to serve

Steps

Start the sauce: melt the butter and cook the onion, garlic and bay leaf 8 minutes until soft. Add the beer, stock, passata, port, brandy, piri-piri and paprika and simmer 20 minutes.
Season the steaks and fry them in a hot oiled skillet 1 minute per side. Fry the sausages until cooked through. Pour any pan juices into the sauce.
Remove the bay leaf and blend the sauce smooth. Bring back to a simmer and whisk in the cornstarch mixture; cook 2 minutes until it's like thick gravy. Season and keep hot.
Heat the oven to 425F (220C). Toast the bread lightly.
Build each sandwich on an ovenproof plate or dish: bread, ham, sausage, steak, mortadella, then a second slice of bread.
Cover the top and sides completely with cheese, tucking it down the edges like a blanket.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to brown. Meanwhile fry the eggs sunny side up.
Set an egg on top of each sandwich, ladle the hot sauce generously over and around, and serve with fries (to dip in the sauce).

Chef’s tips

Make the sauce ahead; it improves overnight.

Use cheese that melts flat, not stringy, so it seals the sandwich.

Order a Super Bock, Porto's local beer, to go with it.

Contains: Wheat (gluten), milk, egg; may contain sulphites (port).

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