Francesinha
I stumbled across this dish whilst researching a trip to Portugal. Francesinha or "Little Frenchie" is the ultimate cheese toastie, incredibly popular in Porto. The original is a meat-fest with beef steak, ham and cured sausages but a veggie alternative can be equally as indulgent. The three fillings I chose were mushrooms, courgettes and a plant-based chorizo style sausage. but it could be any combination of your favourite vegetables and/or meat-free substitutes. The real key to the dish is the delicious beer gravy and plenty of cheese. Ingredients serves 4 2 loaves white bread, cut into 12 slices, at least 1cm thick, crusts cut off and lightly toasted 36 slices of Gouda or Edam cheese, (approx 25g per slice) 4 eggs for the sauce 200ml olive oil 1 litre Portuguese beer (like Super Bock) 100ml Port 400ml tomato passata 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, (about 250g), peeled and chopped 6 bay leaves 50g veg stock granules 4 tsp cornflour 100ml medium ho...
