Francesinha
Porto's Steak, Ham and Sausage Sandwich with Beer and Tomato Sauce
Two slices of bread hold a thin steak, ham and sausage. Cheese is laid over the top and down the sides and melted until it seals the sandwich shut, and then a hot, thin sauce of beer, tomato and a little spirit is poured over until the plate is half full. Chips go on the side and usually end up in the sauce.
The francesinha belongs to Porto, where it is on bar and restaurant menus across the city. Saveur's 2011 account says the origins are unclear and that the name, little Frenchwoman, points to the croque-monsieur. It also notes that the sandwich needs a knife and fork and that one was too much for two people.
Every house guards its sauce. The two recipes read agree on beer, tomato, stock and a splash of port and spirit, blended smooth; the Porto one is longer and adds white wine, milk and a packet soup base.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 250 ml lager
- 400 ml beef stock
- 1 tbsp port
- 1 tbsp brandy or whisky
- 1 tsp piri-piri or other hot chilli sauce, or to taste
- 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- Fine sea salt and black pepper
For the sandwiches
- 2 thin rump or minute steaks (about 100 g each)
- 2 pork chipolatas or 100 g linguiça, halved lengthways
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 thick slices of white sandwich bread
- 4 slices of cooked ham
- 8 to 10 slices of Edam or mild Gouda (about 200 g)
- 2 eggs (optional)
- Chips, to serve
Method
- Start the sauce Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion with the bay leaf for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomato purée, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until it darkens.
- Simmer Pour in the lager, port and spirit and boil for 2 minutes. Add the stock and chilli sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and blend until smooth.
- Thicken Return the sauce to a low heat, stir in the cornflour mixture and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it lightly coats a spoon. It should pour like single cream, not gravy. Season and keep hot.
- Cook the meats Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Fry the sausages for 6 to 8 minutes, turning, until browned and cooked through with no pink in the middle. Season the steaks and fry for 1 minute a side. Rest both on a plate.
- Build Heat the grill to high. Lightly toast the bread. Put two slices in separate shallow ovenproof dishes and layer each with ham, steak and sausage. Top with the second slice of bread, then drape the cheese over the top and down the sides so the sandwich is covered.
- Grill and sauce Grill for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is starting to bubble. If using eggs, fry them while the cheese melts and set one on each sandwich. Pour the hot sauce over and around and serve at once with chips.
Food safety
Pork sausages must be cooked through, with no pink meat and steaming hot in the centre. If you add a fried egg with a runny yolk, use British Lion-marked eggs.
The sauce can be made a day ahead and reheated. It should be very hot when it goes on.
Use bread sturdy enough to stand up to the sauce: thick-cut and a day old is better than soft and fresh.