Philly Cheese Steaks We've taken a few liberties with the
traditional preparation. Contrary to the usual practice, we salt and pepper the meat and
vegetables first, and we have used a much better cheese than the typical bland, rubbery
provolone or, even worse, that yellow stuff. Be sure to include pickled peppers--they
really make the sandwich sing--and if you have a taste for the hot stuff, sprinkle on
plenty of your favorite bottled sauce.
For each sandwich:
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions (optional)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper (optional)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 8-to-10-inch Italian roll, preferably very fresh, with a good chewy crust, OR an
8-to-10-inch piece of French baguette
4-5 ounces thinly sliced raw top round, sirloin tip, eye of the round, or boneless eye of
chuck
2 slices provolone or Swiss cheese
2-3 red or green Italian pickled cherry peppers, cut into chunks (optional)
Bottled hot sauce (optional)
If you're going to use the onion and pepper, saute them separately in small saucepans
with 1 tablespoon olive oil in each until soft, stirring often. The onion will take 10 to
12 minutes, the pepper a little less, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and
set aside.
Using your thumbs, split the roll or bread open without totally separating the 2 halves.
Set aside. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Put the
meat in and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn after 30 seconds and season with salt and
pepper again. After 30 seconds more, place 2 slices of cheese over the meat, remove from
the pan with a spatula, and set aside.
Spread the onion and green pepper, if using them, over the roll. Put the meat and cheese
on top. Garnish with the optional pickled peppers and hot sauce. Serve at once with
plenty of napkins.
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