Bifana

In the pantheon of great Portuguese foods, there are few sandwiches that are more superlative than the bifana. Bifanas are made from thinly pounded slices of pork marinated in white wine, paprika, garlic, bay leaf and vinegar. It’s a simple dish, an unadorned dish. They’re such a casual meal, they’re often eaten while standing at bifana “palaces,” elbow on counter, a cold beer  at the ready. Many people add a splash of piri-piri hot sauce and/or a squeeze of yellow mustard. Some care for caramelized onions on top. Purists want nothing but pork, bread, and sauce. I don’t care how you take your bifana, but by all means, please, take one. You won’t be sorry.

I just happened to have a bag of freshly baked papo secos, or Portuguese rolls, that were in want of a delicious filling…what a happy coincidence! White wine, pork, a ton of garlic and paprika? Yes please.

SHOULD I SAUCE OR NOT SAUCE MY BIFANA?
Just like there are lots of ways to serve bifanas, there’s no hard and fast rule about what to do with the sauce they’re cooked in. At some places in Lisbon, it’s pork and bread–that’s it. Não mais. Other cooks will ladle a bit of sauce over your pork. A few will dip the cut side of the top half of the roll. And then there are those radicals who will–wait for it–dunk the whole sandwich.
Me? I err on the side of sauce. But I also like to reduce it first, which is why it’s a bit thicker than what you’ll see in most places in Portugal. What are you going to do otherwise–throw it away?! Whether dripping or dry, few foods can best this humble icon.

UPDATE: FABULOUS TIP ON THE SAUCE
( A good ) bifana has a secret, it needs a very old sauce, a sauce that was used to make bifanas many times. And that makes sense. In Portugal, the meat simmers in huge skillets all day, and when the meat runs low more is added. So, if you want to be in on the secret, don’t reduce the sauce as I do. Instead, bring it to a boil then set it aside. When it’s cool, pour it in a container, and refrigerate or freeze it. The next time you want to make bifanas, just heat it up!

For my most recent twist I paired my bifana with home made peporonata.

It is nearly 30 years since " chicken and peperonata" in a rosemary focaccia was the best selling item

on the delivery menu of my catering company paninietc so in a way this was a nostalgic nod to that.

Peperonata

8 assorted red and yellow pimentos, julienned

10 good ripe tomatoes

1 large onion, sliced

butter and olive oil

Brown the sliced onion very lightly in mixture of oil and butter.Add the pimentos, cleaned,seeds removed and julienned,season them with Flor de sal.Simmer them for about 15 minutes,in acovered pan.Now add the tomatoes, peeled and quartered, and cook for 30 minutes.There should not be too much oil, as the tomatoes provide enough liquid to cook the pimentos and the resulting mixture should be fairly dry.Garlic can be added if you like.These quantities make enough for six or seven servings,but peperonata is so damn good when reheated that it is worth making alarge batch at one time.To store for a few days in the fridge,pack the peperonata in ajar, and float enough olive oil on the top to seal the contents.