Philly Cheese Steaks

(not my picture)

This is one of those much debated regional things. Where does the best cheese steak? With or without onions? Mushrooms? Best kind of roll? Sweet peppers? Hot peppers? You know how insistent people can be about such important issues. My wife is from Philadelphia and knows the deal. Nowadays, from time to time I make them here in the UK to enthusiastic approval, so I must be doing something right.

INGREDIENTS

• Steak, or a beef roasting joint such as topside, much cheaper and plenty good
• Large sub rolls. You need a long, soft, white bread roll. UK supermarkets have them these days
• Onion
• Sweet hot peppers - little round red peppers in a jar
• Pepperoncini - green jarred hot peppers
• Provolone cheese - hard to find here, so use Edam or Gouda slices
• Light olive oil/veg oil/whatever
• Salt & pepper
• Ketchup

METHOD
Prepare everything, because once the onions are done it only takes 3 or 4 minutes to make the finished thing. So:

1. Warm the oven
2. Sharpen your best knife
3. If using a roasting joint, slice it up super thin; shaved, tiny. About 1" x 1/2" x 1/8" thick. Steak can be a bit bigger but still small
4. Cut your bread roll down one side, leaving a hinge - as you would for a hot dog
5. In a large frying pan, brown the onions until starting to frazzle and set aside in the oven.
6. Heat some oil in a hot pan and chuck-in a handful of meat (one serving) with salt and pepper
7. Toss it around for 30 seconds and add plenty of cheese. Mix together a bit.
8. Throw on some onions then cover with the spread-open bread (open side down)
9. Lower heat, cover. After 2 mins warming, snap the bread closed around the filling and move it to a plate
10. Put a few peppers on top and a squirt of ketchup

The jarred hot and sweet peppers are easy enough to find in the supermarket. I always have loads of this kind of thing in the fridge or cupboard. You could even use those pickled jalapeno slices.

People do like mushrooms and/or bell peppers fried-in, but to me these introduce too much water and turn the meat grey. I like to fry this hot and fast, keeping the beef pretty rare.