Philly cheesesteak
A classic American recipe that packs sliced, fried rib-eye steak in a traditional hoagie-style roll and smothers it in onions, peppers and cheese. The seasoning is Blake's top secret, but feel free to play around with herbs and spices you like to bring out the flavour, or just stick to salt and pepper.
Ingredients
For the cheesesteak
- 1 rib-eye steak (about 450g/1lb), frozen and partially thawed so it is just sliceable
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, cut into 1cm/½in strips
- 1 green pepper, cut into 1cm/½in strips
- handful button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- paprika, chilli powder, garlic granules, or herb mix, to taste
- 2 slices Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 slices American cheese or burger cheese
- 2 x 30cm/12in sub rolls or hoagie-style rolls
For the cheese sauce
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú unsalted butter
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú plain flour
- 500ml/18fl oz semi-skimmed milk
- 75²µ/2¾´Ç³ú Parmesan, grated
- 150g/5½oz mature cheddar, grated
- 75²µ/2¾´Ç³ú mozzarella, grated
Method
For the cheesesteak, cut the steak into 1–2mm-thick slices. This is most easily done by freezing the meat, thawing halfway and then slicing by knife or machine.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or a griddle and add the peppers and onions. Season with a mix of paprika, chilli powder and dried herbs, or just salt and pepper, and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the onion and peppers are caramelised and the mushrooms are cooked. Set aside and keep warm.
Increase the heat and get the pan very hot. Pile the slices of steak on the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on one side. Season the steak with spices, salt and pepper, flip it over, and fry for a further few minutes.
To make the cheese sauce, place the butter and flour in a saucepan and cook for 1–2 minutes until the butter is melted and the flour is cooked out. Gradually add the milk to the saucepan and roux sauce over a low heat. Add the cheeses and stir in until melted. Season with the paprika, chilli powder, garlic and herb mix to taste.
To serve, mix the vegetables with the steak. Divide the mixture and scoop up into the rolls, lay the slices of cheese on top and add the cheese sauce on top. Roll up tightly in baking paper, cut in half and serve.
