Phila Cheesesteaks

Last night we had some old college friends over and decided to do a Phila Cheesesteak feast (since we all knew each other from Temple Univ in Phila).

Delicious Philly Cheesesteak

I began by slicing up some onion and bell peppers. Sauteed them on our stove's flat griddle in olive oil; along with plenty of garlic. When they were decently caramelized, it was time to add the steak. We used to use the frozen Steak EZE which are an excellent choice; unlike the processed Steak UM found in grocery stores. The EZE were originally only available to restaurants wholesale, 10 pounds at a time, and I had to go to Restaurant Depot to find them. But now you can get them in smaller 8-paks at Smart & Final.

However, Kroeger/Ralph's and Albertsons/Vons now offers shaved sirloin or ribeye in the fresh meat section — which is far better.

Add the meat to the griddle, and pull apart or chop as it cooks. Season with salt, pepper, garlic. A pinch of Italian seasoning. Then fold in the onions/peppers to the meat. Add olive oil as needed to keep the meet moist and to add a fat content. Sprinkle a little red wine vinegar for more flavor. Top off with generous slices of provolone cheese, melted over the steak.

Good rolls are essential. I prefer slightly crusty breads, and scoop out the excess "bread" from the sliced halves.

Top off your cheesesteak with a ladle of thick tomato sauce (NOT spaghetti sauce). If I choose not to do a homemade tomato sauce, then Romanella brand thick pizza sauce (Smart & Final) goes well and is not too runny. The sauce should be heated to simmering.

Another variation of the cheesesteak recipe is to add the meat first to the roll, then top generously with cheese, and put the sandwich under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese. We call this style “grinders”.