“In its hometown, Porto, Francesinha is not just a delicacy, it is a religion...“ Francesinha is one of my favourite dishes. It was created in Porto in the 1960s by Daniel da Silva, a returned emigrant from France and Belgium who tried to adapt the French Croque-monsieur to Portuguese taste. The end result was a fabulous sandwich soaked in a delicious meat-based hot sauce. The original Francesinha sauce is known to be a secret, but it has become so popular that some may argue the original recipe has been lost in the countless variations prepared throughout Porto restaurants. The sandwich itself is not so secret, but the same can be said about the number of variations you can find. The original sandwich is prepared with roast pork loin, while the most popular variation replaces the pork with a grilled beef steak. It is also common to add a fried egg on top. In this recipe I introduced my own variation by slow-cooking pork belly in the sauce. The end result is tender pork belly, sliced and added to the sandwich so it blends with the bread and cheese. The sauce also gains a rich meaty taste from cooking the pork. The Francesinha is unorthodox and as good as it is rich. If you love meat cooked with alcohol and spices, you will surely love this dish. Ingredients - 400g pork belly (cooked in the sauce and added to the sandwich) Sauce (serves 8 and can be frozen): - 2 onions, diced - 2 garlic cloves, finely diced - 50ml olive oil - 2 pints lager (approx. 1.1 litres) - 400ml passata (creamed tomatoes) - 1 tbsp cornflour - 1 shot Porto wine - 1 shot whiskey - 1 glass white wine - 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce - 1 tbsp pepper sauce - 1 hot chilli (optional) - 2 bay leaves - 1 or 2 fresh parsley sprigs - 1 tbsp salt - 1 tbsp freshly ground pepper Sandwich: - Sliced bread (2 slices per sandwich) - Thinly cut Edam cheese (approx. 7 slices per sandwich) - Salami or ham (3 slices per sandwich) - Linguica or spicy sausages (2 per sandwich) Preparation Sauce: 1. Add the onions, garlic and olive oil to a large pan and heat on medium. 2. When it starts frying, add the pork belly and cook for about 10 minutes, turning a few times. 3. Add the beer, white wine, whiskey and Porto wine, then cook for another 10 minutes. 4. Add the passata, bay leaves, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and pepper sauce. 5. Add salt and pepper (and chilli if you like it spicy), stir well, and slow-cook for 1 hour on low heat. 6. Remove pork, bay leaves and parsley, then blend the sauce thoroughly. 7. Add cornflour diluted in a little milk or water, and stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Sandwich: 1. Grill the sausages. 2. While they grill, trim fatty bits from the cooked pork and slice the meat. 3. Cut the grilled sausages in half lengthwise. 4. Build the sandwich in this order: bread, salami/ham, cheese, pork, salami, cheese, sausages, bread, then top with more cheese. 5. Toast in the oven at 220C / 425F / Gas mark 7 for about 10 minutes. 6. Pour hot sauce over the sandwich. Enjoy. Bom apetite. Tips: - For best results, cook the sauce the evening before and let it rest overnight, then reheat before serving. - It goes very well with chips and a beer.