Entrée # 2: Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich on a Hoagie Roll

Sorry for the long delay on this post. I just recently started a new job and the past few weeks have been filled with orientation, looking for a daycare for our youngest, and generally finding a way to make my new work schedule function. Side note though: I really love the job, so it has been really good stress!

For this post I prepared a Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich. If you've had one of these from a restaurant or sandwich stand, then the ingredients should be pretty obvious: steak, cheese, onions, green peppers, and bread.  For this particular recipe I've added a few additional ingredients that I feel add a lot to the flavor.  My recipe creates just over 6 sandwiches.

 

 Ingredients

• 6 hoagie rolls
• 2 green bell peppers 
• 1.5lbs of beef top sirloin
• 8 sliced of provolone cheese
• 1 medium to large onion
• 1tbsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: 2 Roma tomatoes
• Optional: 1-2 cups thin sliced mushrooms (not pictured below)
• Optional: 1tbsp mayonnaise per sandwich 

 Preparation

1.  Slice the green peppers and onions into thin long strips, about 1/4" wide by 1-1/2" long.  Set these vegetables to the side to be used later.
   
2. Slice the tomatoes in half, then into thin slices (about 1/8" thick).  Set the tomatoes to the side to be used at the end.
3. Cut the beef top sirloin into very thin strips.  To do this I placed the beef in the freezer for an hour before I cut it, which caused the meat to become semi-frozen and therefore became very easy to cut into thin slices. After doing this my wife asked me why I didn't just have the store butcher cut the meat like this for me; since I am a man I don't ask for directions or ask other people to cut my meat, but this may be an option that is less labor intensive. Cutting the entire steak this thin took me about 10 minutes.

   

   This is the thickness you want to aim for.

   
   

   
   
   
4. Brown the meat in a lightly greased large sauté pan over medium to high heat, adding the garlic powder, salt, and pepper during the cooking process. 
   
5. Add the green peppers, onions, and mushrooms once the meat is browned.  Cover the pan with a lid, turn the stove to medium heat and let the vegetables soften.  This takes about 5-10 minutes.
   
6. Once the vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat and add the slices of provolone cheese - if you like your cheese less melted you can wait until the end to add the cheese.  Cover the pan for 3-4 minutes.
   
7. Stir the melted cheese into the mix, you will have a gooey, cheesey, delicious mix for your sandwich.
   
8. Optional: Toast the hoagie rolls - to do this I placed the rolls face down in a lightly oiled frying pan for about 30-seconds on medium heat.  This nicely toasted the rolls.  I think a toaster oven would give a pretty good result as well, but I don't own one so I used the frying pan.
   
9. Spread mayonnaise onto the hoagie roll, then add the meat/veggie/cheese mix evenly.  Top with the sliced tomatoes.

The Interesting Stuff

Let me preface this with the fact that I changed the heading for this section as I think this lets me offer a wider variety of information regarding the information I provide in this section.  That being said, on to the interesting stuff about the Philadelphia Cheese Steak!

This Philly cheese steak sandwich has a pretty interesting history that began in, of all places, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of course!  Pat and Harry Olivieri are credited with the invention of the sandwich in the early 1930's.  Pat and Harry originally owned a hot dog stall and one day Pat sent Harry to the store for some cheap steak for lunch.  When Harry returned they sliced the steak thin and grilled it with onions.  A passing by cab driver smelled their meal and purchased it.  This early version of the cheese steak did not have cheese on it yet, cheese was added later.  The brother's sold these sandwiches for nearly a decade before opening Pat's King of Steaks, which still stands today in the same location of their hot dog stand.

Today across from Pat's King of Steaks stands Geno's Steaks.  Both places will sell you a cheese steak sandwich 24-hours a day and have been locked in a rivalry since 1966.  Both locations offer the same type of meal with only a minor differences, such as cheese consistency, roll chewiness, and meat tenderness.  There are very specific rules to ordering a cheese steak sandwich at both Pat's and Geno's. These rules are posted on the walls and everything must be order "wit" or "wit-out" the toppings you want, the "wit" being a a play on the Philadelphian accent.

I know that if I ever end up in Philadelphia, I will make it a point to visit both locations so I can make my own decision about the rivalry. 

Conclusion

I hope everyone reading enjoyed learning about the history of the cheese steak.  Please feel free to comment if you make this or have any suggestions for modifications to the recipe, I'd love to hear about new toppings to try.

I'll leave you with the following, the cheese steak shuffle.

 

Sources

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/25/news/la-trb-philadelphia-cheesesteak-pats-genos-07201125
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesesteak#cite_note-Stuhldreher-3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat%27s_King_of_Steaks