Francesinha roughly translates to 'little Frenchie' as it originated from a French dish, the croque-monsieur, which was adapted and improved to become this amazing explosion of flavor.
It is my favorite dish and very popular in the north of Portugal, particularly in Porto, where I am from.
Being much more than 'just a sandwich', Francesinha has a wide variety of ingredients, some of which might depend on the cook, but usually contains pork, beefsteak, bacon being topped by cheese and a fried egg.
Having talked about the main ingredients, none of them would matter if not for the special sauce which is the soul of the Francesinha. This murky dark sauce brings the flavor to the dish and is by far the hardest part to prepare.
Every restaurant will have their own secret recipe for the sauce and some take several hours to perfect and cook.
Most sauces have a beer and tomato base but the list of ingredients can be very extensive. They can vary a lot in degree of spiciness and their quality will make or break the quality of the dish.
This impressive sandwich is sided with french fries which are eaten after being dipped in the sauce.
Ingredient suggestion for 2 people:
For the sandwich
- 6 slices of toasted white bread
- 2 thin steaks seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 sausages
- 4 slices of bologna
- 10 slices of Flemish cheese
- 4 slices of ham
- 2 eggs
For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 dl white wine
- Half pint of beer
- 2 tablespoons seafood soup
- 0,5 dl of Port Wine
- 0,5 dl of brandy
- 2 chopped onions
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 50g margarine
- 1 bay leaf
- 50g of bacon
The perfect drink to have with this special treat is a Portuguese beer. My favorite being Superbock. :)
As you have probably found out this is not the healthiest of meals but it is a very enjoyable meal to have with friends before a night out or even to help heal your hangovers ^^
Whenever you visit Portugal you might want to give this a try. Bon apetit :D
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