Basic Cheesesteak Recipe
If you've been reading the blog post about panuozzo, and you want to make a cheesesteak but lack a recipe, this is roughly what I did to make the sandwich in the photo. This yields plenty of filling for a panuozzo that was made using a 10-inch round pizza dough folded in half.
If you also need a dough recipe, there is a no-knead recipe available in the blog post for "Cheap The Pizza Part II: How to make an amazing pizza in your home oven for under three bucks." You can also find the same recipe here, independent of the blog post. There is also a kneaded version of roughly the same dough formulation available inside my award-winning, bestselling book, Free The Pizza: A Simple System For Making Great Pizza Whenever You Want With The Oven You Already Have. (The no-knead version is pretty good, but the kneaded version, while more work, also yields a better pizza crust with more structure.) Enjoy!
ABOVE: A closeup of the cheesesteak, which a hardcore Philly cheesesteak lover will tell you is not a cheesesteak, but a pepper steak. So be it. I have no interest in splitting hairs with the hardcore. This is a cheesesteak with green bell peppers and so-called fried onions. The steak has also been sliced a bit more thickly than a typical cheesesteak. That was an effort to avoid it drying out while warming in the oven. Feel free to experiment.
Ingredients
8 ounces ribeye steak, sliced thin (across the grain, please)
1/2 cup thinly sliced or coarsely shredded cheese that melts well (provolone, mozzarella, American or Oaxaca—or a combination thereof)
1 medium onion, sliced thin
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Salt
Suggested garnish: hoagie spread or hot cherry pepper blend.
Instructions
Salt the sliced steak.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Sauté the bell peppers until soft, remove from pan and put aside.
Add onions to the pan and sauté until they’re becoming brown. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Salt to taste and put aside with the bell peppers.
Increase the heat and add the steak to the pan. Sear until the meat is browned.
Add the cheese to the steak and mix in. Turn off the heat. Add the onions and peppers and mix in.
Open the “clamshell” of the panuozzo and place the steak & cheese mixture inside. Close the clamshell.
Place the sandwich on a baking sheet, and put it into the hot oven. (It should be set at 475F from baking the bread.) Keep an eye on the sandwich as it heats for 2-4 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt and bubble.
When cheese is sufficiently hot and bubbly, remove sandwich from oven, allow to set briefly, then cut as desired and serve.
Garnish with hoagie spread or hot cherry pepper blend, if using.
8 ounces ribeye steak, sliced thin (across the grain, please)
1/2 cup thinly sliced or coarsely shredded cheese that melts well (provolone, mozzarella, American or Oaxaca—or a combination thereof)
1 medium onion, sliced thin
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Salt
Suggested garnish: hoagie spread or hot cherry pepper blend.
Instructions
Salt the sliced steak.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Sauté the bell peppers until soft, remove from pan and put aside.
Add onions to the pan and sauté until they’re becoming brown. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Salt to taste and put aside with the bell peppers.
Increase the heat and add the steak to the pan. Sear until the meat is browned.
Add the cheese to the steak and mix in. Turn off the heat. Add the onions and peppers and mix in.
Open the “clamshell” of the panuozzo and place the steak & cheese mixture inside. Close the clamshell.
Place the sandwich on a baking sheet, and put it into the hot oven. (It should be set at 475F from baking the bread.) Keep an eye on the sandwich as it heats for 2-4 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt and bubble.
When cheese is sufficiently hot and bubbly, remove sandwich from oven, allow to set briefly, then cut as desired and serve.
Garnish with hoagie spread or hot cherry pepper blend, if using.