Francesinha Porto Style

Whether you've visited Portugal or not, you can't be indiferent to one of their best local dishes ever made, originated from Porto. The Francesinha is not a sandwich to the feint of heart, as it packs some serious heat! This is a dish everyone should try at least once in their lifetime, and as many people before you did, it might make you come back to it, over, and over again!

Main Recipe

Main Ingredients	Quantities
Fresh loaf bread slices	4
Molten cheese slices	12
Cow steak	2
Fresh regular sausage	2
Fresh pork sausage	2
Salt and pepper	season as you like
French Fries	As many as you like
Ham	2 slices

Sauce Recipe

Main Ingredients	Quantities
Onion	1
Beer	4 dL
Tomato Paste	3 spoons of soup
Brandy	0,5 dL
Port Wine	0,5 dL
Margarine	1 spoon of soup
Cornstarch	1 spoon of soup
Broth cube	1
Bay leaf	1
Salt and pepper	season as you like
(Optional) Hot pepper sauce	season as you like

How to make it

1. To start this recipe, prepare the sauce: peel the onion, chop it to pieces and put it in a pan. Add the margarine and the bay leaf, let it simmer at a medium heat and let it cook until it's golden brown. Add the tomato paste, the broth cube and the beer and let it boil away the alcool. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little bit of water or milk and add it to the pan slowly, while you stir. Add salt and pepper as you like, and add the brandy and port wine. If you like some heat, you can add some hot pepper sauce, as the traditional dish always pack a punch. Lastly, use a dowel to filter out the sauce and and once the Francesinha is made, reheat it at a low heat.

2. For the main sandwich, cut up the regular and pork sausage in half and again across in length. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and grill everything. Remember, the sausages always have to be well grilled, as the steak is per preference.

3. Lastly, toast the bread slices lightly so they don't get soggy when in contact with the sauce, and distribute them between a tray (2 slices per Francesinha). Cover one of the slices in each dish with ham, then add the 4 sausage halfs (two from the pork and two regular). Add the steak on top the sausages and on top of it a slice of cheese. Finish it up with a slice of bread to keep it all together.

4. Before we finish up our yummy dish, please remember to start the processo of frying the french fries to make sure everything is nice and hot when they are done. To cover the Francesinha with cheese, place a cheese on each side from the middle and then add a center slice to keep all of the other slices in place.

5. Preheat the oven at 200ºC and put the Francesinhas in there until the cheese melts. Afterwards, just put each Francesinha in a deep dish and pour the sauce on top of it

6. Enjoy!