Philly Cheesesteak – Pennsylvania

Cathy: Growing up, assuming that I have indeed grown up, we lived in Wilmington DE, which is essentially a suburb of Philadelphia (tho Wilmingtonians would probably disagree but to the rest of the country, you’d probably agree). I spent elementary, one year of Jr HS and HS years there.

Nothing was better for lunch or dinner than a Philly Cheesesteak. My Mom sometimes bought “Steak-Ums”, which were very slim frozen slabs of beef (I think), separated by sheets of waxed paper. We’d fry them up with onions and melted cheese, served on a fresh hoagie roll with ketsup.

Better were the real thing, purchased only in the oldest of urban roadside delis, were these sandwiches – the bigger the better, with (a must) melted cheese, sauteed onions and ketsup. Some add sauteed bell pepper and mushrooms but not me.

The last time I was in the Wilmington area, after a trip to Rehobeth Beach for a small family reunion, my brothers and I stopped at one of these city roadside delis for a cheesesteak. It was giant, and delicious….I boarded my flight satisfied, fat, happy except for a bit of indigestion – nothing a couple of tums couldn’t help.

I attempted to recreate a Philly Cheesesteak here in my California home and I got pretty close. The recipe called for thinly sliced ribeye steak (I know for a fact that the cheesesteaks I ate growing up didn’t have that good a quality of meat 😂, but it was fun anyway) and slices of white american cheese. I made sure to add the local beer (Rolling Rock) to the menu and the only Tastycakes I could find over here on the west coast (another must-have growing up).

I was glad to recreate a fond memory from my time in Delaware to share with you.

Total prep and cook time: 30 minutes Makes two large sandwiches

• 2 – 8″ hoagie rolls, sliced
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 large union, sliced
• 16 ounces of boneless ribeye steaks (slightly frozen) – THINLY sliced against the grain
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 slices white american cheese

1. Optionally, butter the insides of the hoagie rolls with 1 Tbs butter and toast, set aside
2. In a saute pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbs butter. Once melted and bubbling, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are lightly browned and onions turn translucent. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Season sliced ribeye with salt and pepper. Add 1 Tbs butter to the pan and once melted and bubbling, add ribeye to the skillet and cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add worchestershire sauce to skillet and stir to combine.
4. Reduce heat to low. Return onion to the pan and stir to combine. Split your steak mixture in half on either side of the pan and lay two pieces of cheese onto each half and allow to melt, about 1 minute.
5. Spoon cheesesteak mixture onto your hoagie rolls. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• This recipe makes two large, hearty sandwiches. The filling can also be divided into two portions.
• White american cheese can be substituted with cheese whiz or smoked provolone. They say the white american cheese has a nice creamy texture which is perfect for this sandwich. It was.
• Onions are the only traditional cheesesteak topping – bell pepper and mushrooms are optional, but recommended for flavor.
• Amoroso rolls are traditional for making cheesesteaks, but any bakery style hoagie rolls will work.

Recipe inspired by “The Toasty Kitchen”.