BIFANAS / PORK SANDWICHES

2 pounds of pork loin, cut into this slices
5 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper and paprika to taste
1 cup of white wine
3 bay leaves, cut in half
Lemon juice from 1/2 – 1 lemon
hot crushed pepper paste
olive oil or lard

In a pyrex or large flat baking dish, layer the pork cutlets and season them with salt, pepper, paprika and red pepper paste. (NOTE: Hot sauce may be instead of the red pepper paste). Sprinkle with the minced garlic making sure to cover all of the cutlets. Pour lemon juice and wine over the pork and allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. When you are ready to fry the pork cutlets, remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

in a large frying pan, heat the olive oil (or lard if you so choose). Remove pork cutlets from marinade and add to hot frying pan. (You can dry the cutlets a little in a paper towel to remove some of the wetness before placing in the frying pan).

Fry the cutlets at high heat and flip the them as necessary so they cook on both sides. When the cutlets start to brown, remove from frying pan. While the last batch of cutlets are frying, add the remaining wine marinade to frying pan and cook until marinade evaporates and cutlets are slightly browned. At the end, return all of the cutlets back to the frying pan so that they are coated with the fat / oil remaining in the pan.

When ready to serve, place the pork cutlets in fresh papo secos (Portuguese Pops). May be served with a thin slice of hot red pepper or mustard may be added to the sandwich. Typically, hand-cut homemade french fries are served as a side with bifanas.

Note: traditionally lard is used to fry the cutlets, but olive oil may be used instead for those of us that are more health conscious.