BIFANA (PORTUGUESE PORK CUTLETS)

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Bifana (Portuguese pork cutlets) image

Posted on behalf of a request. Here in Toronto (which has a large Portuguese community), every Portuguese food store likely sells bifana; except for the bakeries, I've seen it frequently. It's very tasty -- I've never made it, but I've bought it on occasion and eaten it at my Portuguese girlfriend's home many times as well. Bifana is regarded more as a snack than a meal. This recipe is from "Uma Casa Portuguesa" (Portuguese Home Cooking) by Carla Azevedo.

Provided by Lennie

Categories     Pork

Time P1DT10m

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 1/2 lbs boneless pork cutlets, cut very thin
1 1/4 cups dry white wine, divided
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf, crumbled
3/4 teaspoon pimiento, paste divided (available in Portuguese food stores)
1/2 teaspoon spanish paprika, divided
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorn, crushed
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon piri-piri, sauce (or Tabasco sauce, if necessary)
2 tablespoons lard

Steps:

  • Rinse the pork cutlets and then pat dry with paper towels.
  • Place pork in a large heavy plastic bag (like a freezer ziploc bag) and place in a large bowl.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine one cup of the wine, the vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, 1/2 tsp of the pimento paste, 1/4 tsp of the paprika, peppercorns, cloves and piri-piri sauce.
  • Pour this over pork, make sure all meat is coated, and seal the bag.
  • Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, turning bag over in bowl frequently.
  • Bring meat to room temperature before cooking.
  • To cook, remove pork from marinade and lightly pat pork dry with paper towels.
  • Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and melt lard, then cook pork in batches in hot lard; if your pork is thin it will likely only take a minute per side, at the most.
  • When all the pork has been sauteed, drain off the fat and add the remaining wine (1/4 cup), remaining pimento paste (1/4 tsp), remaining paprika (1/4 tsp) to the skillet, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring this to a boil, stirring the pan to get up any brown bits.
  • Return all the pork to the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook for about another minute.

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