Bifana
David RodriguesShare
If you’ve ever walked past a Portuguese café and caught that garlicky, spiced aroma drifting out the door, chances are you were smelling bifanas. This beloved pork sandwich is simple, fast, and packed with the flavors that define everyday Portuguese cooking.
Prep Time: 60 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 5-6 thin sliced pork loin
- 2 Portuguese rolls / papo secos / caraça
- 1 cup white wine or vinho verde (can substitute with beer)
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 tbsp piri piri
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- mustard (optional for topping)
- 1 tbsp massa de pimentão (optional)
Instructions
- Pound meat with a tenderizer until thin, place meat in a bowl.
- Season pork with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Add piri piri, bay lead, white wine and garlic to bowl. Optional: add tablespoon of massa de pimentão to meat.
- Let marinade at least 1 hour.
- Add olive oil and butter to pain at medium-high heat.
- Add garlic to pan, do not burn (adjust temperature if needed).
- Fry pork on both sides until golden brown, reserving marinade for later.
- Remove pork from pan, deglaze pan with marinade reserved earlier.
- Once sauce begins to simmer, add pork back to pan.
- Cook on medium for about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens a bit.
- Serve as a sandwich in a crispy papo seco, top with mustard if desired.