A Canadians "Philly" Cheese Steak Sandwhich

Our family has found a new favorite sandwich and it's hot and covered in cheese!

I am from north of the border, so I admit I did not grow up eating the famous Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, but I do watch ALOT of the Food Network and after watching countless T.V. hosts stuff their face with a version of this classic sandwich (I'm looking at you Guy Fieri), I figured it might be time to give it a try.

What could go wrong with thin-sliced steak, onions, peppers, maybe some mushrooms thrown in, topped with melty cheese and served on some warm bread?

Philadelpiha Skyline Photo Credit: Bruce Emmerling

I figured a good place to start would be to do some research on what constitutes an official Philly Cheese Steak sandwich in the first place. The Official Tourism site of Philadelphia City claims the Philly Cheese Steak was invented by a hotdog vendor named Pat Olivieri, who grew tired of his own food and decided to throw some thin steak he purchased from a local butcher, on the grill for his own lunch. He added some fried onions and slapped it on a warm roll. As the story goes, the aroma attracted a local cab driver who then proceeded to order the "steak sandwich". Around the 1960's, several copycats emerged and added provolone cheese (and later Cheez Whiz), and the Philly Cheese Steak was born and the rest is history. (Let me add that if I got any of the facts wrong, we encourage constructive criticism around here, and I would gladly be educated, so comment below!)

Anyway, I digress...I knew I did not want to make a sandwich covered in Cheez Whiz. No offense to Cheez Whiz or anyone who loves it, to each their own. It has it's place in my life, and on my steak sandwiches is not that place. There are perks to having a partner who works in a butcher shop apparently, because he brought home some inexpensive, thinly sliced rib-eye that was absolutely perfect for the job. You don't have to go to your butcher shop though, most grocery stores sell fast fry steaks that would make a lovely sandwich, and they are usually pretty inexpensive.

I started by dicing the garlic and thinly slicing my onion and peppers. I slow cooked the onion and peppers together until slightly caramelized, adding salt and pepper to taste. I removed them from the pan and set them aside and added my sliced beef to the hot skillet. This meal is perfect for a busy weekday night meal because it takes very little time to cook through the thinly sliced meat. Add some worcestershire sauce and 1-2 tsp of oregano along with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add your veggies back in and toss it to warm through. When everything is piping hot toss it onto a warm roll and top it with your favorite cheese.

This sandwich is hot and hardy and perfect for a fast weekday meal

Traditionally, provolone has been the Big Cheese when it came to topping off a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, (see what I did there), but use whatever your heart desires (even if your heart leads you to cheese in a jar). We topped our sandwiches with old cheddar and in retrospect I would have popped the sandwiches under the broiler to make them extra gooey, but they just looked too good we didn't want to wait! This recipe will serve 5-6 people, unless you have a VERY hungry husband.

My hubby dressed his with a little mayonnaise and some HP sauce and raved that it was his new favorite sandwich.

Maybe you die hard Philly Cheese Steak enthusiasts are scoffing at my version of this historic delight. Perhaps I strayed too far from the traditional recipe to have it called an ACTUAL Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, but if "a recipe is a story that ends with a good meal" (Pat Conroy), this story had a VERY happy and satisfied ending.

What toppings do you add to this traditional favorite to make it your own? Comment Below!!

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A Canadian's Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

Ingrediants

1.5 lbs of fast fry Steak, sliced thinly

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup Bell Pepper, sliced thinly

1 cup of button mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1-2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded

Warm rolls or crusty bread of your choosing

Method

1. Sliced all vegetables thinly. Cook the onions, peppers and mushrooms and garlic slowly until soft and translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Fry the thinly sliced steak in the hot skillet and add the worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.

3. When the meat is cooked through, add the vegetables back into the skillet and warm everything through. Adjust seasonings as needed.

4. Serve on warm rolls and top with cheese. Broil in the oven to melt and brown the cheese if desired. Serve right away! Serves 5-6 people.