The Philly
cheesesteak hails from—no prizes for guessing this one— Philadelphia. Brothers
Pat and Harry Olivieri are generally credited with creating the base steak
sandwich, which is thinly cut, quickly cooked, and then chopped even smaller
while on the hot plate. The addition of cheese is said to have come later; the
idea of one of their restaurant managers— Joe “cocky Joe” Lorenza. Cool name,
no? And a cool idea, too; adding cheese generally is.
As we’ve discovered, rivalry is rife in the
world of sandwiches, and the cheesesteak is no exception. Two restaurants,
Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks are on opposite sides of the road and
famously at loggerheads over their ’wiches. The main point of contention
concerning cheesesteaks, in general, is whether they should be topped with
Provolone, American cheese, or “Cheese Whiz.” Provolone is, in my opinion, the
most delicious and accessible, but knock yourself out and put anything you like
on there, then claim one of your ancestors invented it.
Makes 1 huge sandwich
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil, for frying
½ onion, sliced
½ green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 rib-eye steak (about 7oz/200g), thinly
sliced
Provolone cheese, sliced
1 long, soft sub-style roll, split open
Heat a ridged griddle pan over a medium-high heat and add some vegetable
oil. Fry the onion and bell pepper slices until starting to color, then add the
garlic and some salt and pepper. Cook briefly, then push to one side of the pan
or remove completely if the pan is small and the garlic is at risk of burning.
Add
the steak slices and fry, breaking them up with a metal spatula until the
pieces are almost cooked through. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then
mix it together with the vegetables, top with cheese slices, and let them melt.
Spoon the meaty cheese mixture into the roll and devour.
