Portugal · Portugal
Francesinha (Porto-Style Stacked Sandwich)
Layers of bread, fresh sausage, smoked ham and steak smothered in melted cheese and a spicy tomato-beer sauce.
The francesinha is Porto's own, invented after the Second World War and named mockingly after a French little girl, with everything stacked under more cheese than seems sensible. Its sauce is the point: a thin, sharp tomato sauce loosened with beer and dusted with paprika, which cuts straight through the fat of meat and cheese. Assembling it takes no real skill, but each layer has to be cooked first.
Ingredients
- rustic white bread, sliced8 pieces
- fresh pork sausage, cooked and sliced4 pieces
- smoked ham, sliced4 pieces
- beef steak, sliced thin400 g
- Portuguese melting cheese or provolone, sliced200 g
- yellow onion, chopped1 pieces
- garlic cloves, minced3 pieces
- ripe tomatoes, chopped3 pieces
- beer250 ml
- piri-piri chili sauce30 ml
- olive oil30 ml
- butter30 g
- fine salt1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
Directions
- 1
Season the steak with salt and pepper and sear in a hot pan with olive oil to medium.
Steak has a browned crust and feels springy when pressed. - 2
In the same pan, soften onion and garlic in butter, add tomato, beer and piri-piri and simmer 15 minutes.
Sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon and smells of tomato and chili. - 3
Layer bread, sausage, ham, sliced steak and cheese into two tall sandwiches.
Sandwiches are stacked tight and tall. - 4
Top each sandwich with the remaining cheese and bake at 200°C until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
Cheese has melted over the edges and lightly browned. - 5
Ladle the hot sauce generously over the sandwiches and serve with fries.
Sauce pools around the sandwich and fries.
Source: WorldBite Editorial · WorldBite Proprietary Editorial Content