festa food – Tia Maria's Blog

Portuguese Festa Food: Bifanas da Festa |Pork Sandwich

Bifanas are a must have at any Portuguese Festa but you can have them any day of the year. The savory pork with sauteed onions melt in your mouth on the crusty Papo Seco Portuguese roll. Cook them on the grill and serve as a main dish with potatoes, rice or vegetables. I make this recipe at least once every few weeks because it’s so easy!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of boneless pork loin (cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips)

2 to 3 tbsp TASTE PORTUGAL SEASONING REGULAR OR SPICY

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

Piri Piri or Tabasco sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Marinate let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, remove the pork from the refrigerator and let reach room temperature.

Cooking on the grill:

Rub a little olive oil on each bifana and place on the hot grill (or grill in 2 tbsp olive oil in heavy stove top skillet). Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until browned and place in a heat prof tray. Place the butter evenly over the pork. Add your desired amount of piri piri if desired. Top with cooked onions (recipe below). Cover with foil, and store in a warm place until you’re ready to serve.

Onions:

2 – 3 large onions (sliced)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Preparation:

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent and tender. Add paprika, garlic powder and salt and vinegar. Stir well and cook for another few minutes to incorporate spices. Keep in pan until ready to serve over the pork.

Recipes

June 17, 2020

Portuguese Festa Food | Mini Prego/Steak Sliders

Time to Festa everyone! The months of June through September is “Festa” season throughout Portugal and in Portuguese communities around the world. Since most festas have been canceled this year in the USA due to the Corona Virus, I’ve brought the classic recipes for you to enjoy in your own backyard festa! I’ve started my series of “Festa Foods” posts with my Mini Prego Sliders. I’ve made these smaller sandwiches using mini Papo Seco rolls. Sauted onions add a savory bite and the shoe string fries are a total game changer on the traditional plain sandwich. No Portuguese festa is complete without some Portuguese beer of course. Happy Summer and Happy Festa Everyone!

Ingredients for 1 dozen sliders:

1 dozen mini papo seco rolls (cut larger rolls in half if you don’t have the mini)

12 (4-6)oz sirloin strip steaks cut to 1/2 inch thick

2 large onions (sliced)

1 pound shoe string fries (frozen or fresh) (this is optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons my spice mix (found at this link: https://tiamariasblog.com/portuguese-dry-rub/ )

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon white vinegar or white wine

Preparation:

Bring steaks to room temperature before cooking. Season with spice mix.

Cook unions in a large skillet in a few tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add salt and vinegar and cook until tender but not overcooked. Leave in skillet and set aside on low heat.

Meanwhile cook fries and keep warm.

When both onions and fries are cooked prepare steaks.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in large heavy skillet to very hot. Cook 6 steaks at time 2 to 3 minutes on each side depending on your taste of doneness. If you like a rare steak cook less. You may need to add a few more tablespoons of oil in the second batch of steaks.

When steaks are cooked add cooked onions to pan.

Assemble sliders with steak, then onions and fries on top.