Bitoque

Walk into any tasca in Portugal at lunchtime and you'll see plates of bitoque flying out of the kitchen. Steak, egg, rice, fries. Four things. Nothing fancy. Everything right.

This is the lunch that built the country. Construction workers, office clerks, students, grandmothers. Everyone eats bitoque. It costs almost nothing, it fills you up, and when it's done properly, when the steak has a proper crust and the egg yolk runs golden over everything, it's one of the most satisfying meals on earth.

Avó Leonor made bitoque when there wasn't time for anything else. She'd pound the steaks thin with the flat of her hand, fry them fast and hot, crack an egg on top. The rice was always perfect, each grain separate. The fries were always crispy. "Comida simples, bem feita," she'd say. Simple food, well made.

The name comes from bife, steak, combined with the English word "steak" that Portuguese sailors brought back from their travels. The egg riding on top is called "a cavalo," on horseback. So you'll sometimes see this called bife com ovo a cavalo. Same thing. Same perfect lunch. Don't overthink it.