Chef Isabel
Almussafes Valenciano
Almussafes is Valencian bar-counter food: a crusty roll filled with sobrasada, cheese, and onion, then pressed on the plancha until the bread crisps and the filling runs together.
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Montadito Piripi Sevillano
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Montadito piripi is Sevilla's griddled bar sandwich: pork loin, bacon, melting cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, and a sharp little piripi sauce, all pressed flat until the bread turns crisp.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Spanish
Comfort Food
Celebration
Potluck
20 min
Active Time
15 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 montaditos
Montadito piripi is Sevillano, born for the bar counter and the Feria table: a narrow roll filled with pork loin, bacon, cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, and a small spoon of piripi sauce, then pressed flat on the plancha. It is not a bocadillo made large and lazy. It should be compact, hot, a little messy, and easy to eat standing up.
The method that decides it is the press. Cook the pork and bacon first, build the montadito while everything is still hot, then press it cut-side down and top-side down until the cheese softens and the bread takes on a crisp, oily shine. If you only warm the filling and leave the bread pale, you have missed the thing that makes it Sevillian bar food.
Far from Sevilla, use a small baguette roll or a soft bolillo if that is what you have, but keep it narrow. For the cheese, a mild melting cheese is right; young manchego works only if it is sliced thin and not too dry. No hace falta haber pisado España. Make the sauce sharp, press the bread well, and eat it before it sits. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
The montadito belongs to the Andalusian bar counter, a small piece of bread carrying a hot filling that can be eaten with one hand beside a glass of beer or fino. In Sevilla, the piripi is closely tied to the city's tabernas and Feria habit of quick, warm, pressed sandwiches made for crowds rather than formal meals. Its name points less to a single old household recipe than to a Sevillian way of eating: pork from the plancha, sauce, bread, and speed, all held together by heat.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
small narrow bread rolls
Quantity
4
18 to 20cm long, split lengthwise
pork loin
Quantity
320g
cut into 8 thin slices
bacon
Quantity
120g
cut into 8 thin rashers
mild melting cheese
Quantity
120g
thinly sliced
ripe tomato
Quantity
1
thinly sliced
mayonnaise
Quantity
60g
olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
sweet pimentón de la Vera
Quantity
1 teaspoon
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
finely grated
vinagre de Jerez
Quantity
1 tablespoon
tomato paste
Quantity
1 teaspoon
brandy or dry fino (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
fine salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| small narrow bread rolls18 to 20cm long, split lengthwise | 4 |
| pork loincut into 8 thin slices | 320g |
| baconcut into 8 thin rashers | 120g |
| mild melting cheesethinly sliced | 120g |
| ripe tomatothinly sliced | 1 |
| mayonnaise | 60g |
| olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| sweet pimentón de la Vera | 1 teaspoon |
| garlicfinely grated | 1 small clove |
| vinagre de Jerez | 1 tablespoon |
| tomato paste | 1 teaspoon |
| brandy or dry fino (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
| fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| black pepper | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Plancha, cast-iron griddle, or heavy frying pan
- •Wide metal spatula or sandwich press
- •Small bowl for sauce
Instructions
- 1
Make the sauce
Stir the mayonnaise with the grated garlic, vinagre de Jerez, tomato paste, brandy or fino if using, pimentón, and a pinch of the salt. Keep it sharp enough to wake up the pork. A sweet, heavy sauce makes the montadito dull.
Use vinagre de Jerez if you can. If not, use a good white wine vinegar and know it will taste a little less Andaluz. - 2
Season the pork
Pat the pork slices dry and season them with the remaining salt and a little black pepper. Thin slices matter here; they cook quickly and stay tender inside the bread instead of pulling out in one tough piece.
- 3
Cook bacon and pork
Heat a plancha, griddle, or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until browned at the edges but still flexible, then move it to a plate. Add the olive oil if the pan looks dry, cook the pork slices about 60 to 90 seconds per side, and keep them hot.
- 4
Build the montaditos
Open the rolls and spread the bottom halves with the piripi sauce. Lay in the hot pork, bacon, cheese, and tomato slices, then spread a thin layer of plain mayonnaise on the top halves. Close the rolls and press them gently with your hand so the filling sits flat.
- 5
Press until crisp
Put the filled rolls back on the hot plancha and press them firmly with a spatula, sandwich press, or another pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the bread is crisped and flattened, the cheese has softened, and the cut edges show a little golden oil. This press is the whole point. Serve at once, cut in halves if you like.
Chef Tips
- •Use pork loin cut thin, not thick chops. Thick meat makes the bread slide apart, and a montadito piripi should eat cleanly in a few bites, even if the sauce tries to escape.
- •Choose a cheese that melts without taking over. A mild barra-style cheese, havarti, young gouda, or thin young manchego will do. A dry cured manchego tastes good but won't soften enough for this sandwich.
- •The tomato has to be ripe, not hard and cold from the fridge. If tomatoes are poor, use fewer slices and let the sauce carry the acidity. A sad tomato does not become Sevillian because it is trapped in bread.
- •Press it flat and eat it hot. Letting it sit is how crisp bread becomes damp bread, and nobody asked for that.
Advance Preparation
- •The piripi sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Stir it before using.
- •Slice the pork, cheese, tomato, and bread a few hours ahead, but cook and press the montaditos just before serving.
- •For a potluck, cook the pork and bacon shortly before leaving, then assemble and press the rolls on a hot griddle when you arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 235g)
Calories
750 calories
Total Fat
49 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
31 g
Cholesterol
120 mg
Sodium
1190 mg
Total Carbohydrates
43 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
35 g
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