Bifana (Portuguese pork cutlets)

"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."
 
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Ready In:
24hrs 10mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • 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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Reviews

  1. This is an excellent way to quickly cook delicious pork cutlets. For easy preparation, I recommend purchasing a jar of pimento paste (Carne de Pimento Choricero by Rajope), and increasing the amount of pimento paste to 1 3/4 tsp (3/4 tsp in the marinade, 1 tsp in the sauce). For an excellent paprika flavor, use 1/4 tsp sweet paprika in the marinade and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika in the sauce.I also use bacon fat to fry the pork cutlets instead of lard. Recommended amounts of salt/pepper: 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. This dish goes extremely well as a main course accompanied with black beans and steamed artichokes.
     
  2. very tasty and very morish which fills even the biggest appetite
     
  3. Excellent meal or snack. I use beer instead of the wine and I find it has a better taste. But both ways are good. Thanks.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Excellent meal or snack. I use beer instead of the wine and I find it has a better taste. But both ways are good. Thanks.
     
  2. This is an excellent way to quickly cook delicious pork cutlets. For easy preparation, I recommend purchasing a jar of pimento paste (Carne de Pimento Choricero by Rajope), and increasing the amount of pimento paste to 1 3/4 tsp (3/4 tsp in the marinade, 1 tsp in the sauce). For an excellent paprika flavor, use 1/4 tsp sweet paprika in the marinade and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika in the sauce.I also use bacon fat to fry the pork cutlets instead of lard. Recommended amounts of salt/pepper: 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. This dish goes extremely well as a main course accompanied with black beans and steamed artichokes.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I have been sharing recipes here at Recipezaar since October 2001. You won't see me around anymore, although if you're an old-school Zaarite you'll remember that in the past, you couldn't shut me up!
 
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