Make your own Philly Cheesesteak or Cheesy Caesar Chickensteak
The most daunting thing about making your own Philly at home is the meat. It’s easy to find, but difficult to get butchered the way you need it. At Pat’s and Geno’s in Philadelphia they used wafer-thin ribeye. The steaks are partially frozen then sliced across the top rather than the sides. To emulate this, I took a fresh, half-pound ribeye and put it in the freezer for 1 hour. The I cut the steak in half and used the edged flattened by the slice to balance the steak on the cutting board while I shaved the face of the steak with a long, extremely sharp butcher knife. While I didn’t get the full wafer-thin steaks I did get the wafers in smaller pieces. Ultimately, you chop up the beef anyway, so the result was great. Of course, I had to add a fresh serrano to my pepper-onion mix for a little Texas heat, but don’t feel obligated.
Mayo is the condiment of choice back East, but choose your favorite. I tried one with a little kicked-up Caesar mayo that turned out terrific.
Check out the Pat’s and Geno’s sites to learn more about the history of this unique sandwich.
Below the Philly recipe is something I came up with, call it a Cheesy Caesar Chickensteak. The technique is the same, but uses chicken breast. And I’ve added a slaw made with that forementioned kicked-up Caesar mayo.
Makes 2-3 sandwiches
Half-pound ribeye steak, sliced wafer-thin.
Half a sweet onion
Half a green pepper
1 serrano pepper (optional)
2 slices favorite cheese, I like provolone, or quarter to half cup Cheez Whiz.
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder.
1 tablespoon of oil
Mayo or condiment of your choice is optional.
Hoagie rolls
Using a cast-iron griddle or skillet (No Teflon!) heat the oil at medium high heat. If using a two-burner griddle set one side to low. Fry the steaks and chop, using a sharp, metal spatula (or two if you want to be authentic!). Stir fry until browned, about a minute, then season with salt, pepper and garlic. Stir briefly, then set aside.
Saute sliced onion and peppers in remaining oil, no more than a minute, then group together to form a flat mound. Place the meat on top of the mound and the cheese on top of the meat. Let warm until the cheese melts and integrates.
Toast the requisite number or hoagie rolls, slice and open wide. Add mayo or condiment of your choice now. Carefully slide a spatula, or two, under the onions and lift enough to fill one sandwich. Slide the filling into the bun, making sure the cheese stays top side. Eat with care and plenty of napkins. It’s a mess, but you’ll love it.
Chickensteaks with onions and hot peppers plus Kicked-up Caesar Slaw
Cheesy Caesar Chickensteak
Makes two small sandiwiches or one huge one.
1 partically thawed chicken breast, shaved wafer-thin.
Half a sweet onion
1 serrano chile
1 tsp each: salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder.
2 slices of provolone or 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan.
1/4 cup Kicked-up Caesar Mayo (recipe below)
1/4-1/2 head small, green cabbage.
1-2 teaspoons olive oil (not extra virgin!)
Heat oil on a cast-iron griddle or skillet. Fry chicken until it changes color, about a minute, flipping and dicing with a sharp spatula (or two). Season with salt, pepper and garlic and mix before setting aside or moving to unlit side of griddle.
Saute onions and peppers until they start to soften, 1-2 minutes. Form a foundation with cooked onions and peppers then stack the chicken on top.
Cover with two slices of provolone or fresh-grated parmesan. Continue to cook until cheese melts or integrates.
Serve on toasted hoagie rolls or italian rolls.
Kicked-up Caesar Mayo
Half cup mayo, light works fine
1 tbsp. anchovy paste or two 2 anchovy fillets
1 serrano chile
1 tsp each: salt, fresh ground pepper.
Juice of half a fresh lime
Blend all ingredients and set aside at least a half hour. For slaw, mix mayo with shredded cabbage.
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I’ve seen another method for getting the meat super-thin. Alton Brown (I think) recommends cutting the steak into chunks, then pounding each chunk flat — tenderizing the beef and giving you the control over how thin it gets.