During your stay in Portugal, especially in Porto, you cannot miss the "Francesinha", a typical dish originating from this city.
The Francesinha – What is it?
The Francesinha is essentially a sandwich made of two slices of toasted bread, filled with a beef steak, smoked sausage, fresh sausage and slices of cheese.
The sandwich is then covered on all sides with cheese slices and placed in the oven until the cheese begins to melt.
Francesinha in Porto style – Photo credit Teleculinaria
So far, nothing very different from a slightly more elaborate croque-monsieur. What makes the real difference is the sauce that goes with it, made from tomato, beer and chilli.
In fact, there are many recipes for Francesinha. Some replace beef with pork, others add a fried egg, and the types of cured meats and sausages can also vary.
The origins of the Francesinha
As often happens when a dish becomes popular, there are several stories about its origins. We have found two of them.
The first attributes the origin of the Francesinha to the Napoleonic troops who, when they invaded the north of Portugal, were accustomed to eating toasted bread with various meats and cheeses inside. The special sauce only appeared later.
The second attributes the creation of the Francesinha to Daniel David Silva, a Portuguese emigrant who worked as a cook for several years in France. On his return to Porto, he worked at the restaurant "A Regaleira", where he adapted the French Croque-Monsieur to Portuguese tastes by making the sandwich more generous and adding the famous tomato, beer and chilli sauce.
In any case, the Francesinha is undoubtedly a native of Porto!
The success of the Francesinha
The Francesinha is a very simple dish, quick to prepare and based on inexpensive ingredients: pork or beef, bread (often from the day before), simple cheese, tomatoes, beer...
It was quickly perceived as more of a snack than a main meal, and was traditionally served at teatime, after a cinema outing or with a drink among friends.
Francesinha – Photo credit Ekonomista
The recipe for 4 Francesinhas
Ingredients for the sauce
- Light beer (about 1 litre)
- Port wine (about 20 cl)
- Tomato sauce or pulp (about 50 g)
- Piri-piri
- Olive oil, onions (2), garlic (2), bay leaf
- Cornflour to thicken the sauce
Ingredients for the sandwich
- 8 thick slices of sandwich bread
- 4 thin steaks (veal, beef or pork)
- 4 slices of ham
- 1 smoked sausage
- 1 fresh sausage
- Slices of cheese (enough to fill and cover the sandwiches)
- 4 eggs
Preparation
- Finely chop 2 onions and 2 cloves of garlic, and place them in a saucepan.
- Add the steaks of veal, beef or pork.
- Add the olive oil and bay leaves.
- Let simmer until the meat is cooked through.
- Once cooked, remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- Add the Port wine, beer and tomato sauce to the pan.
- Reduce for one hour.
- Remove the bay leaves and blend the mixture.
- Add cornflour if necessary to thicken the sauce.
- Add Piri-piri (mild or hot, to taste – available in our shop).
- Set the sauce aside.
- Prepare the sandwiches with bread, the steaks, ham slices, fresh and smoked sausages (sliced) and some cheese slices.
- Cover each sandwich entirely with the remaining cheese slices.
- Place in the oven to melt the cheese while you prepare 4 fried eggs.
- Remove the sandwiches from the oven, place them on deep plates, cover them with the sauce and top each sandwich with a fried egg.
Serve with chips (as is traditional in Porto) and a chilled Portuguese beer.
Chef’s tip
Make this recipe at home in a traditional Portuguese clay gratin dish. Not only will you respect the authentic method, but you’ll also enjoy a dish that retains heat and enhances the flavours of your Francesinha.
