Recipes from Around the World: Portuguese Francesinha

Francesinha the most decadent, flavoursome, and intense sandwich you will ever eat. The layers begin with a slice of bread, followed by ham, fresh sausage, steak, another slice of bread and to top it off a fried egg. But wait that’s not all, this sandwich is then covered in melted cheese and a hot thick sauce poured all over it creating a swimming pool for french fries around it.

Despite the dish being so heavy, the Francesinha is often consumed by the Portuguese for an afternoon snack in a cafe or bar, it is also a fantastic late-night snack after a night out.

Each Francesinsha will be different because of the sauce and different ingredient used as it is usually a secrete family recipe. The Portuguese are very proud of their dish and you will often hear ” Fazemos o melhor molho de francesinhas” which means “We make the best Francesinha Sauce.

To keep things simple so you can make this at home any where in the world, this is the basis of the traditional Francesinha

Sauce Ingredients

Generic Sauce – Remember each family will have their own flavour!

300 ml olive oil
3 bay leaves
450 ml beer
50 ml whisky
50 ml port wine
1 cup fried tomato sauce
½ cup beef broth
1 tbsp salted butter
1 onion chopped
1 garlic minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp Piri Piri (Portuguese chilli)

Sandwich Ingredients

2 sausages
2 steaks
4 slices bread
10 slices cheese
4 slices ham
2 Eggs

The Sauce

In a large pan put the olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped onion, bay leaves, salt and pepper, let it cook until golden

Add the beer and let it simmer, then add the beef stock, tomato sauce, Perri Perri, whisky, Port wine, slowly add the cornstarch try to avoid lumps

Give it a few minutes to simmer until it thickens

Francesinhas

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, Cut the sausages lengthwise.

Season the steaks with salt and pepper.

Start to grill the sausages first and then the steaks but do not overcook them, they need to be medium-rare.

Start making building your Francesinha with this order:

Slice of bread

Slice of cheese

One Slice of ham

Steak

Sausages

Slice of bread

Finish covering the Francesinha with cheese

Place it into the oven until the cheese is melted

Fry the eggs and put them on the top of the sandwich

Superbock

Superbock is the biggest and most loved beer in Portugal, For good reason too! Superbock is served everywhere, cafes, restaurants, bars and even on the beach. Your trip to Portugal is not complete without having a Superbock, enjoy it with your Francesinhas!

Our Paths May Cross

June 14, 2021