Deconstructed Philly Cheese Steak Recipes

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK

Steps:

• Place steak in freezer for 30 to 45 minutes; this makes it easier to slice the meat. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice very thinly.
• Heat griddle or grill pan over high heat. Brush steak slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 45 to 60 seconds per side.
• Place several slices of the meat on the bottom half of the roll, spoon some of the cheese sauce over the meat, and top with the mushrooms, onions, and peppers.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the provolone and Parmesan until combined; season with the salt and pepper.
• Heat oil and butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook slowly until golden brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
• Heat the oil in medium saute pan over high heat. Add the peppers and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain, and set aside in a large bowl.
• Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until they begin to soften. Add ground beef, and cook, stirring, until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and pour into the bowl with the pasta. Stir in the condensed soup, then measure the milk using the soup can. Add mushrooms, and thyme until well blended. Mix in 3 cups of the cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Spread into baking dish.
• In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter. Mix in remaining 1 cup cheese. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the baking dish.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until topping is crispy and golden.

A REAL PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

Steps:

• MEAT: Make friends with your butcher. You need him to partially freeze a hunk of Rib Eye, and then slice it very thin. You want it sliced thin even though common sense tells us that thick is better. You can buy the hunk of rib eye and freeze and slice it yourself, but the butcher generally does a better job than I do. I can only get it about 1/8" thick and he does about.
• BREAD: This is the hard part. If you aren't in the tristate area, and can't get AMOROSOS rolls (the only thing that is REALLY good on a cheesesteak) then you have to find a substitute. Squishy sub rolls will NOT do. They do not hold together under pressure. Refrain from buying those "hero" rolls too. A good hoagie roll is almost rubbery in texture, but quite soft. The best substitute I have found is a loaf of French bread. Not as good as the real thing, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.
• Toppings: All of this is personal choice. I like fried onions and mushrooms myself.
• Cheeses used vary - I hate to admit it but I think cheese whiz tastes the best. Provolone is awesome too and thats what I would use if I was afraid of the plastic orange stuff called whiz.
• Cooking the steak: In a cast iron frying pan, or a grill pan heat some oil. Saute toppings until pliable - make them however you like them. Remove them from pan and set aside.
• Pour some more oil in the pan (I use olive oil, but if you have access to the stuff they use in restaurants on grills it would taste even better) on medium high heat. Place 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound of meat in the pan, lying the pieces flat and overlapping to form a shape that will fit nicely in a bun.
• When the meat turns grey with doneness, flip it over and if you are using cheese slices now is the time to lie them on top of the meat. Add the other toppings back into the pan next to the meat and allow to reheat. Cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt. This should take 1-2 minutes. If the meat looks overcooked, thats ok - i t should be GRAY.
• This is the time to toast the bread if you so wish. I don't like mine toasted at all. Warmed is ok.
• If you are using cheese whiz, warm it in the microwave. Pick up meat and melted cheese with a spatula and deposit on the roll. IF using cheese whiz, use a butter knife or chopstick to smear whiz next to the meat.
• Push the meat on one side of the roll and deposit the toppings next to it. This is important because if you put the toppings ON the meat, they will not be in the bottom of the sandwich, which really sux.
• You should get meat, toppings and cheese in every bite.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS

Steps:

• Freeze steak 1 hour until firm but not frozen., In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onions, peppers and pepper sauce; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender; remove and keep warm., Place bun bottoms on a baking sheet, cut side up. Remove steak from freezer; cut into thin slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In same skillet, heat remaining butter over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove from pan., Layer bun bottoms with meat, onion mixture and cheese. Broil 4 in. from heat for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Replace tops.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

Steps:

• To make slicing it easier, freeze the beef for 30 minutes to firm up.
• Preheat a double-burner griddle or two large skillets over medium-high heat. Thinly slice the meat against the grain.
• Toss the onions in a bowl with the oil and put them on the griddle. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent. Push the onions to the back of the griddle.
• Place the beef on the griddle and season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until no pink remains. Stir the onions into the beef and chop the beef mixture into bite-size pieces with the side of a metal spatula.
• Divide the beef and onions between the hoagie rolls. Top with the provolone and cheese sauce. Serve immediately, topped with giardiniera, if desired.