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The best and apparently the only proper Francesinha you’ll find in Porto.
Whenever in Porto, you need to try Francesinha. Unless you don’t eat meat, then definitely don’t try it. This is one awesome sandwich and if you have it for a breakfast, most probably you won’t be eating till the evening. There are a few things I’ve learned about this awesome sandwich:
1. The best and apparently the only proper ones you’ll find in Porto.
2. No-one will share the recipe with you as it’s a huge secret.
3. The idea came from the French croquet-monsieur.
4. There’s a lot of meat included.
I had quite a few Francesinhas and I loved most of them. Whenever you decide to make it, remember that great ingredients make a great meal.
My personal impression – whenever I see Francesinha it makes me feel like summer. The colour, the smile on people face when they get it. We went to one restaurant, quite big in size, where we had to wait 20 minutes in line and literally everyone inside were eating Francesinha. As you can see, there must be something in this sandwich.
The big big big secret is the sauce. My recipe is totally accidental and I mixed all the recipes I found. It is super easy, so you can do it at home. You can always add some onions and garlic to the sauce (I didn’t). I hope that I have at least one Portuguese reader who will write me and correct the recipe!
Recipe
YOU WILL NEED FOR THE SANWICH:
- 2 slices bread
- 1 slice roasted beef
- 2 slices ham
- few slices of sausage or chorizo
- 2 big slices of cheese
- fried egg
YOU WILL NEED FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 small beer
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1⁄4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 garlic, chopped
- pinch of chili flakes
- pinch of salt
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix 🙂 Then start to make waffles.
Let’s start with the sauce. Place all the ingredients except the bay leaf in a pot and use a hand mixer to blend it. Add the leaf and bring the sauce to boil over a low heat. When it starts to boil, take out the leaf.
With the sandwich it is super easy. Toast the bread (you don’t have to but I like it toasted). Place first slice on a place, add fried beef, ham, sausage and cover with the second slice of bread. Place cheese on top and pour over the hot sauce. The cheese will melt a bit. Place the egg on top, pour some more sauce and enjoy :).
Enjoy, Marta
Let’s start with the sauce. Place all the ingredients except the bay leaf in a pot and use a hand mixer to blend it. Add the leaf and bring the sauce to boil over a low heat. When it starts to boil, take out the leaf.
With the sandwich it is super easy. Toast the bread (you don’t have to but I like it toasted). Place first slice on a place, add fried beef, ham, sausage and cover with the second slice of bread. Place cheese on top and pour over the hot sauce. The cheese will melt a bit. Place the egg on top, pour some more sauce and enjoy :).
Enjoy, Marta
15 Comments
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thank you so much! I know, I should have added porto, it has so much sens 🙂 I’ll try a version with your suggestions. Thank you!
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I’ve not had this dish, and it sounds wonderful! Love all those cheesy sandwich type recipes — so good, so comforting. It’s rainy today — perfect weather for this! Thanks.
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this is one serious sandwich and I can promise that it will make an impression. It did make one on me 😀
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You’re making miss our times in Portugal!! Hope to see you soon, my dear! xx
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hope to see you soon as well <3
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I’m going to Porto this June and just CAN’T wait to try these out!
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Go to Yuko. It’s a bit far from the city center, but man do they know what they are doing. 🙂 Oh oh, and ask for your fries to come separately, otherwise they will become super soggy swimming in that sauce and what you want is the contrast between the crunch and the sauce – the ultimate heaven.
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Porto has the best francesinhas!
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“great ingredients make a great meal”…so very true!! WOW! What a meat lovers sandwich and definitely the sandwich you eat when you’re looking for a serious protein fix. And that sauce! I don’t care it may not be exactly right, because it looks amazing. I want this sandwich!!!
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it is sooooo gooooooood 😀
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I am one such Portuguese reader, but alas! as I loathe francesinha I will not correct the recipe. I think I must be one of the very few Portuguese who cannot stand this sandwich, and I am a huuuuuuge meat lover! But I find it too heavy, and the sauce puts me off everytime, the scent of it makes me gag. Still, it’s one hell of a good looking dish. Have you tried rojões á minhota or cabidela? Woner what you make of those, as they are heavy in the use of blood – proper vampire food and all ahahahah
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I’ll try them! thank you 😀
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Twoja kanapka wygląda obłędnie. Kompozycja smaków jest świetna, szkoda że nie mogę poczuć zapachu. Zapowiada się bardzo ciekawie.
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pachnie bosko, to taka prawdziwa bomba, starcza na cały dzień 😀
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Hi Marta! Your pictures are amazing, as always. 🙂
Your recipe for francesinha seems about right, but I think you’re missing out on one or two ingredients: besides the beer, it usually takes a stronger drink, as Port Wine or Brandy (or both). Also usually there’s some meat in the sauce as well, like presunto, to enhance the flavor. The hot sauce in it is commonly “Piri-piri”, but I’m guessing chilly flakes would work fine. I would skip the milk and dissolve the cornstarch in the beer. But I like a strong, spicy sauce. Also you have to include fries, to deep into that pool of sauce. We usually rated both the fries and the francesinha whenever talking about our favorite place to eat it.
Anyhow, small details 🙂
I think it’s funny that you think of it as a “summer thing”, as for me it says “winter” allover it: our summers are super hot and the idea of spicy, heavy food, doesn’t really compute. Grilled fish and roasted peppers are what I associate with summer. But portuguese people do eat it whenever, wherever, so you’re probably right 🙂