Philly Cheesesteak
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When I first moved to Canada both beef dip and the philly cheesesteak were completely new ideas to me, and even the idea of a steak sandwich was something of a novelty. Quite honestly, they must have been pretty dark days back before my enlightenment; why was the idea of putting steak in a sandwich not a common feature of my life. Regardless, I can't dwell on the past; the philly cheesesteak is the focus of this creation, and i hope to do it the justice it deserves.
From a bit of background research, I came across the idea that to make an 'authentic' philly cheesesteak, you had to use a product known as 'Cheez Whiz' for the cheese. Now with all due respect to the makers of this product, I'm not entirely convinced it's going to cut it for what I want to create. For the uninitiated, Cheez Whiz is basically a heavily processed thick liquid cheese. I'm pretty sure the reason they use a 'z' in the name is because it doesn't actually contain any real cheese.
With the Cheez Whiz idea firmly discounted, what I ended up going for is what I believe to be a more traditional, more 'old school' version of this classic. In all the philly cheesesteaks I've had recently, the onion and bell pepper has been separated out, sitting on top of the steak, and they've tended to use deli-style slices rather than thin strips; the approach I'm using combines these back together.
Other than that, I don't think there's too much different about my take on this. Oh, except for the sorcery I've added, because there's no way this should taste quite as special as it does from the ingredients alone.
Philly Cheesesteak
Serves: 2 People
Philly Cheesesteak: provolone; sautéed white onion and green bell pepper; salt, pepper and garlic seasoning; and of course, shaved rib steak.
Ingredients
- 2 Short Baguettes (Approx. 8 Inches Each)
- 150g Provolone
- 250g Rib Steak
- 1 Medium White Onion
- 1 Medium Green Bell Pepper
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- Sea Salt
- Cracked Black Pepper
- A Knob of Butter
Instructions
- Slice the rib steak into thin strips and set to one side
- Heat a skillet to a low/medium temperature, and melt in the knob of butter.
- Dice the onion and add to the skillet.
- Dice the green bell pepper and also add to the skillet.
- When the onion starts to brown, grate the two garlic cloves and add these to the skillet, along with a touch of sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- After the garlic has been mixed in, add the strips of rib steak.
- Cook everything through, stirring frequently to ensure an even mix of seasoning.
- Slice the baguettes horizontally lengthways, and add a layer of provolone to the bottom half.
- Add a layer of steak, onion and bell pepper mix on top of the provolone.
- Place a second layer of provolone on top and close up the sandwich.
- Toast either under a grill or using a panini press until the cheese melts.
Notes & Tips
If you have access to a deli meat slicer, the strips of rib steak can be cut easily as follows: cut the steak into about 3 or 4 pieces (so there's no edges longer than about 2 inches), then chill in a freezer for about 20 minutes until the meat is significantly firmer (but not frozen); this should now slice easily along the thin edges to make your strips.
