Cheesesteaks

I've actually never had a real Philly cheesesteak. Chris has though and he was underwhelmed. He still really likes the idea of cheesesteaks though and it's one of the few meals he requests. We used to love the chicken cheesesteaks from Delaware Sub Shop in Austin and I'm constantly trying to recreate theirs. This rendition is done with beef and it was quite good. Also a good summer time meal since there is limited stove time and no oven required. This recipe is one of my own.

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2, with leftovers

Ingredients

• 1 lb of beef hanger steak or flank steak
• 1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper
• 1 large Texas sweet onion
• 4 slices of provolone cheese
• 2 sub rolls (I like the ones in the bakery section)
• 2 TBSP vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• Hot Pepper Relish* or chopped jalapenos

Prep

1. Wrap your steak in plastic wrap and stick in the freezer for 20-25 minutes. This will firm up the steak, making it easier to slice really thinly.
2. While your steak chills, thinly slice your bell pepper and peel and thinly slice your onion.

3. When your steak has chilled, remove it from the freezer and use a sharp knife to slice it really thinly, perpendicular to the grain of the meat. Here is a great blog post that explains the "against the grain" method very thoroughly.

Cook

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high for a couple of minutes.
2. Add 1 TBSP of your vegetable oil and heat it for a couple more minutes.
3. When your oil is hot, add your sliced onion and pepper and season with about 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or so, until your veggies are soft and starting to brown.

4. Remove your veggies to a plate and set aside.
5. Add your second TBSP of oil to your hot pan and heat it for a minute.
6. Add your thinly sliced beef to the pan and add about 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or so until all of your meat is browned and cooked through.

7. While your meat is cooking, stick your sub rolls in the toaster oven or microwave to warm them through.
8. Once your meat is cooked through, add your peppers and onions back to the pan and warm it all through together.
9. Separate off enough of the meat and veggies to fill two of your sandwich rolls and top each pile with a couple slices of cheese.

10. Once your cheese is melted, use a spatula to transfer the filling into the warmed sandwich roll.
11. Serve with Hot pepper relish or chopped jalapenos.

Notes

* Hot pepper relish - This is a little hard to find but Chris loves it with cheesesteaks. I usually can find the Cento brand on the same aisle with other peppers. If you can't find this, I'd just use a jar of jalapenos and chop them up.