Francesinha

Make the sauce: finely chop the Onion and Garlic. In a medium saucepan, heat a splash of Olive Oil with a knob of Butter over medium heat, add the onion, garlic and a Bay Leaf and sweat until soft but not browned.

Stir in the Tomato Passata, then add the Lager Beer, Beef Stock, Port Wine and a splash of Brandy. Season with a little Worcestershire Sauce, Piri-Piri Sauce, Salt and Black Pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 20–30 minutes to concentrate the flavors.

If the sauce needs thickening, whisk together Cornstarch with cold Cold Water to make a slurry and stir it into the simmering sauce; cook a few minutes until glossy and slightly thickened. Remove the bay leaf, taste and adjust seasoning, then keep the sauce warm.

Prepare the meats: season the Beef Steak with salt and pepper and sear in a hot pan with a little oil until cooked to your liking; rest briefly and slice. In the same pan, cook slices of Linguiça and Pork Sausage until browned and cooked through. Lightly warm the Cured Ham.

Assemble the sandwich: butter slices of Soft White Bread on the outside, then layer ham, sliced steak, linguiça and pork sausage on the inside; tuck slices of Queijo Flamengo between layers and place more cheese on top so it will melt over the sandwich.

Melt the cheese: place the assembled sandwich on a baking tray, spoon some of the hot sauce over the top and into the sides so the cheese will be bathed in sauce, then put under a hot grill or in a very hot oven until the cheese is bubbling and melted.

While the sandwich melts, prepare the fries: cut the Potatoes into chips, rinse and dry them thoroughly, then deep-fry or shallow-fry in hot Vegetable Oil until golden and crisp. Drain on paper, season with salt.

Fry an Egg in a little butter or oil to sunny-side up (runny yolk traditional) to finish each sandwich.

To serve: transfer the cheese-covered sandwich to a plate, ladle plenty of the hot sauce over and around it, top with the fried egg and accompany with the hot fries. Spoon extra sauce as you eat for the classic, messy Francesinha experience.