Name: Francesinha with Spicy Sauce and Cheese
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 loaves
Ingredients: olive oil; 1 pc onion; 3 cloves garlic; 2 pcs bay leaves; 400 ml tomato paste; 300 ml beer; 50 ml port wine; 15 g plain flour; 100 ml milk; 20 g butter; 15 ml worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon piri piri seasoning; salt; ground pepper; 400 g beef ribeye; 200 g chorizo; 8 slices bone-in ham; 8 slices toast bread; 12 slices edam cheese; olive oil; 4 pcs eggs; 800 g french fries

Step by step process

Francesinha Sauce

1
Start the francesinha spicy cheese sauce: heat olive oil in a saucepan and add finely chopped onion. Sauté for 6-8 minutes until translucent and slightly golden.
2
Add sliced garlic, sauté briefly until fragrant, then sprinkle with flour and whisk well to form a light roux.
3
Gradually whisk in beer and port wine, then add passata, milk, Worcestershire sauce, piri-piri, and bay leaf. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
4
Simmer the sauce on low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5
Remove the bay leaf and blend the sauce thoroughly until smooth. Stir in butter to enrich the flavor and keep warm until serving.
TIP:
After cooking, blend the sauce until smooth for a silky texture and add a bit of butter to soften it and enhance the flavor. This method works well with most sauces and dressings.

Meat and Sandwich

6
Lightly tenderize beef sirloin slices with a mallet under plastic wrap. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
7
Cut the chouriço into thin diagonal slices, leave ham in whole slices.
8
Heat a little oil in a pan and sear the sirloin quickly for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden, keeping the inside juicy. Let rest briefly under foil.
9
In the same pan, briefly fry the chouriço slices until rendered and browned.
10
Toast the bread slices dry or with a bit of oil on both sides until golden and crispy, so they hold the sauce better.

Assembly and Baking

11
Preheat the oven to 200°C (top heat) and prepare a baking dish.
12
Place a slice of ham, some chouriço, and one seared sirloin slice onto a toasted bread slice. Top with another bread slice and press lightly.
13
Completely cover each sandwich with slices of Edam cheese, letting the cheese slightly overhang and wrap around the sandwich.
14
Transfer the sandwich to the baking dish, pour some hot sauce around it (brush a little on top), and bake for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly golden.

Serving

15
Fry eggs in a pan, one for each finished sandwich.
16
Transfer the finished sandwiches onto plates, place a fried egg on top, pour over the remaining hot sauce, and serve with fresh fries.