Francesinha

Method

1. Start with the sauce. Melt the butter in a 18 cm saucepan, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook on medium heat for 5 min, until soft and translucent.

   Add in this stepButter (for the sauce) 20 gOnion ½Garlic cloves 2

   medium heat

2. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the passata, the beer (pour slowly so it doesn't foam over), stock, port, bay leaves and piri-piri. Bring to a boil on high heat, then turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered for 22 min, until reduced by about a third and full-flavoured.

   Add in this stepTomato paste 1½ tbspTomato passata 150 mlLager beer 250 mlBeef stock 200 mlPort wine (or brandy) 25 mlBay leaves 1Piri-piri sauce (or hot sauce) ½ tsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

3. Remove the bay leaves and blend smooth with a stick blender. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, stir it in with half the salt and simmer on medium heat for 3 min, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep it warm on the lowest heat.

   Add in this stepCornstarch 2 tspSalt ¼ tsp

   medium heat

4. While the sauce simmers, switch on the oven. Heat 60% of the oil in a 26 cm frying pan, split the fresh sausages and linguiça in half lengthwise and fry them on medium heat for 7 min. Fresh sausage must be cooked right through with no pink inside.

   Add in this stepSmoked linguiça (or chorizo) 120 gFresh pork sausages 2Vegetable oil 0.9 tbsp

   medium heat

5. Season the steak with the remaining salt and pepper, turn the same pan up to high heat and sear about 1 minute per side, 3 min in total (in batches if the pan is small). It is thin, so it toughens if overcooked.

   Add in this stepThin beef steak (sirloin, 1 cm thick) 200 gSalt ¼ tspBlack pepper to taste

   high heat

6. In an ovenproof deep plate, stack for each sandwich a slice of bread, a slice of ham, linguiça, sausage, steak and another slice of ham, then close with bread. Cover the top and sides completely with cheese slices. Bake in the oven preheated to 220 °C for 6 min, until the cheese melts and drapes down the sides.

   Add in this stepThick white sandwich bread slices (1.5 cm) 4Sliced ham 4Good melting cheese slices 8

   oven

7. Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a small pan and fry the eggs on medium heat for 3 min, until the whites are set and the yolks still soft.

   Add in this stepEggs 2Vegetable oil 0.6 tbsp

   medium heat

8. Top each sandwich with a fried egg and pour the hot sauce generously over and around it so it pools in the plate. Serve with fries for dipping, as they do in Porto.