PORTUGAL: Smothered Pork Sandwich (Bifana) and Stewed Peas with Eggs (Ervilhas Guisadas)

I generally love Portugal and Portuguese cuisine. Rather than select a recipe I had made prior, I decided to try some of the lesser known — at last to me — dishes. Food more typically found in people's home than in restaurants. So glad I did, because this was an excellent preparation of peas! It will be something I cook again and again. Be sure you use Portuguese or Spanish chorizo for the peas, not Mexican, as the seasoning is quite different between the two. If you cannot find Portuguese or Spanish chorizo, you can sub in andouille or even kielbasa. I used a turkey chorizo, to keep it lighter. The sandwich was quite fabulous as well.

I love when I discover new-to-me flavor profiles, and both of these dishes fit that bill.

Smothered Pork Sandwich (Bifana)

1 pound pork top round, cutlets, or tenderloin

1 cup white wine or beer

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1-2 tablespoons piri-piri sauce plus more for serving, optional

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon smoked paprika, sweet or spicy

1 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon salted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 crusty rolls

Mustard to serve, optional

1. Slice the pork, then lay each slice, one at a time, between two sheets of parchment paper and pound with the back of a meat mallet or the bottom of a pan until it is slightly thicker than a deli slice, ~1/8 an inch. Repeat with remaining slices.

2. In a Ziplock bag or shallow bowl large enough to hold the meat, mix the wine or beer, whole cloves of garlic, bay leaves, tomato paste, piri piri if using, vinegar, paprika, and salt. Add the pork slices and stir to ensure all of the pork is in the marinade. Refrigerate the pan for 1-2 hours.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter and olive oil. When its hot, add the pork in a single layer, and seer the pieces 1 minute per side. Transfer the cooked pork to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork.

4. Pour the reserved marinade into the skillet and scrape up any stuck-on bits. Let the mixture boil until slighlty reduced, ~5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and garlic cloves.

5. Add the cooked back to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer to warm them through.

6. Slice the rolls in half. Spoon some of the sauce over each half, pile with the pork, and, if desired, serve with mustard and additional piri-piri sauce.

Stewed Peas with Eggs (Ervilhas Guisadas)

¼ lb Portuguese or Spanish chorizo (do not use Mexican, rather use andouille or even kielbasa if you cannot find)

1 tablespoon olive oil, optional

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 red long hot chili pepper, optional

1 teaspoon smoked paprika, sweet or spicy

½ cup white wine

2 bay leaves

1 medium beefsteak tomato or 2 Roma

4 eggs

2 cup peas, frozen or fresh

Salt and pepper, to taste

Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Toasted bread for serving, optional

1. Slice the sausage into thin rounds. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until slightly browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and brown the other side. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. While sausage cooks, finely chop the onion. Mince the garlic and pepper, if using. Once sausage as been removed from the pan, add in the chopped onion. If the skillet is to dry, add in the olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and the minced pepper, if using. Stir and cook another 2 minutes, then stir in the paprika until fully combined and aromatic. Add the wine to the pan and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Toss in the bay leaves.

3. Finely dice the tomatoes. Add to the pan along with ¼-½ of water. Stir in tomatoes and, if using fresh peas add them now as well (if using frozen, hold off) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened. If using frozen peas, add about 1 minute before adding the eggs in the next step. Adjust for seasoning.

4. Using a large spoon, create four hollows in the pea mixture, and carefully break an egg into each hollow. Cover skillet and simmer until the eggs are cooked as desired. 6-7 minutes works for a soft, runny yolk, which is idea;.

5. To serve, arrange thick slices of fresh crusty bread on four plates. Spoon some of the braised peas onto the bread on each plate, then top each serving off with an egg. Sprinkle with a little fresh parsley, if using.

#bifana #porksandwhich #globalsandwiches #ervilhasguisadas #peas #portugal

• 

• 

FUN FACTS:

• Japanese tempura actually originated in Portugal as a way to cook fish during Lent and was brought to Japan by 16th-century Jesuit missionaries.

• The world’s oldest bookstore is in Lisbon. Bertrand Bookstore, in Lisbon’s Chiado district, was established in 1732.

• The largest surf wave ever ridden was surfed at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal. Sebastian Steudtner surfed an 86-foot wave there in 2020. He is said to have surfed a 93-foot wave at the same location in February 2024, though official verification remains pending.