Vendas Novas-Style Bifanas with Red Pepper Paste

Method

1. Make a Portuguese-style red pepper paste (massa de pimentão): pat the roasted peppers dry with kitchen paper and blend or pound them with the coarse salt, about two thirds of the garlic and the smoked paprika until smooth. Thinly slice the remaining garlic and set it aside.

   Add in this stepRoasted red peppers (jarred), drained 50 gCoarse sea salt ¾ tspGarlic cloves 3½Smoked paprika ½ tsp

2. Put the pork between two sheets of cling film and pound it evenly to 3 mm with a rolling pin; an even thickness means every piece cooks at the same time. Snip the fat at the edges in a few places.

   Add in this stepPork loin or neck, thinly sliced 300 g

3. Mix the pepper paste with the wine in a bowl, add the pork and bay leaves and toss well. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 12 h (at least 4 hours); the salt and wine tenderise the meat and the paste gives it its colour and depth.

   Add in this stepDry white wine 140 mlBay leaves 2

4. Put the lard, the sliced garlic and the halved chillies in a 26 cm frying pan and warm them gently over low heat for 3 min. When the garlic turns pale gold, lift it and the chillies out and keep them; burnt garlic turns bitter, so take it out before it darkens.

   Add in this stepLard 3 tbspGarlic cloves 1½Small red bird's eye chillies 1

   low heat

5. Lift the pork out of the marinade, scraping off the excess (keep the marinade), and turn the heat up to medium-high heat. Sear the slices in a single layer, 1 batch, for 3 min in total, turning once, until the edges catch and brown, then move them to a plate. A crowded pan steams the meat instead of searing it, so don't skip the batches.

   medium-high heat

6. Pour the marinade into the pan, scrape up the browned bits and reduce over medium heat for 5 min, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take the pan off the heat, add the vinegar and the cold butter and swirl until melted and glossy. Return the pork with the fried garlic and chillies and turn to coat. The pork should be cooked with no pink inside, and the marinade must have boiled properly because it touched raw meat.

   Add in this stepWhite wine vinegar 1 tspCold butter, cubed 10 g

   medium heat

7. Split the rolls along one side, put them cut side down in a separate dry pan and toast over medium heat for 1 min 30 sec until crisp. Dab the cut faces in the sauce, fill generously with the pork, spoon over a little more sauce and serve at once with the mustard.

   Add in this stepCrusty white rolls (papo-seco) 2Yellow mustard 2 tsp

   medium heat