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Sandwich Francesinha by Authentic Food Quest

Francesinha Recipe

This francesinha recipe is for a delicious iconic sandwich from Porto. Full of flavors, this sandwich has layers of sausage, ham and steak wrapped in cheese. Topped with an egg and served with a secret sauce, get ready to dive into the rich and tasty flavors of Portugal’s second city.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Recipes
Cuisine: Portuguese
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 1979kcal
Author: Authentic Food Quest

Ingredients 

For the sandwich

  • 6 slices white ​​bread
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ½ pound beef fillet cut into two
  • ½ pound ham
  • ½ pound linguica sausages or chorizo
  • 1 pound cheese to melt

For the sauce

  • 1 small onion finely chopped, 70 g
  • 2 tomatoes ripe, grated, without skin or seeds, 100 g
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon Peri Peri sauce
  • 12 oz lager beer
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ¾ cup Port wine
  • 1 tablespoon fine cornflour or cornstarch
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For serving

  • French fries
  • 2 eggs small

Instructions

For the sauce

  • Place a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove top. Melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, and a little salt.
  • Cook until the onion is translucent and begins to brown. Immediately, add the crushed tomato, and the peri peri sauce.
  • When the tomato is well cooked, add the beer, bay leaf, Port wine, and broth. Continue cooking uncovered for about ten more minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in a quarter cup of water. And add it to the sauce. Cook for about five more minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens.
  • Strain or blend the sauce and then return it into the hot pot. Set aside.

For the filling

  • Season the steak with salt and pepper. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and once hot, cook the steak for three minutes on each side. Make sure it browns a little.
  • Cut the sausages in half, lengthwise, as this prevents them from curling up during cooking.
  • Cook for three minutes on each side. Toast the slices of sliced ​​bread.

Assembling the francesinha

  • Place one slice of ​​bread on a plate and top with the sliced ham.
  • Place the steak on top of the ham. Trim the edges of any protruding pieces of meat.
  • Cover with another slice of ​​bread and top with sausages.
  • Finally, cover with another slice of ​​bread. Cover your sandwich with 6 to 8 slices of cheese. Repeat for the other sandwich.
  • If desired, with a cookie-cutter, make a notch in the cheese at the top of the sandwich. Crack open a small raw egg and place in the opening.
  • Preheat oven on broiler
  • Put the plate of sandwiches quite close to the top and bake for about 3 minutes. Check regularly to make sure the cheese has only melted and not turned brown.
  • Carefully remove the plate and transfer sandwiches to two plates.
  • Pour warm sauce over each sandwich covering it entirely.
  • Surround each sandwich with plenty of french fries and enjoy.
  • Serve some additional sauce to use while eating your sandwich.

Notes

  • If you have trouble keeping the cheese and meat in the place, hold together using toothpicks 
  • We use extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe. You can use any vegetable oil as well.
  • Nutrition

    Serving: 1 | Calories: 1979kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 110g | Fat: 140g | Saturated Fat: 67g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 45g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 576mg | Sodium: 3584mg | Potassium: 1430mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 4063IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 1683mg | Iron: 5mg
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