My husband and I are expecting our second child this July. I am not one of those women that would say I love or hate being pregnant, but I can with certainty say that I crave EVERYTHING I can't have when I am pregnant. Par for course, right? It seems it's just human nature to want what we can't have. I am absolutely dying to have a steak cooked medium rare. The thought of a tuna or rainbow roll makes my mouth water. Oh, and alcoholic beverages...I am not a big drinker, but some days I would give anything for a good glass of red wine. I remember feeling this exact same way the first time I was pregnant. However, all those strong cravings passed once I had Addison, truly proving that I am one of those crazy folks that yearn for what I know I can't have.
All of that being said, I would prefer not to eat a well done steak so I end up giving it up altogether while I am pregnant. No disrespect to anyone that enjoys their steak cooked that way, but I just can't do that! I like my steak to bleed when I cut into it and I love to sop up the juices with a warm roll. This past week I have really, really been craving a good steak, so I decided to spend some time researching different steak recipes that require you to fully cook the meat. I stumbled upon a few different philly cheese steak recipes that caught my eye and decided to whip up some for dinner. These were quite tasty and fairly easy, so I decided to add them to my blog.
I start by slicing one large onion. I cut the onion in half through the root. To save time I use the root to keep everything connected and make thin cuts outward. I have fanned the onion out in the picture below to illustrate the process.
I then cut off the root end and have evenly sliced thin half moon pieces of onion. I repeat the process with the other half of the onion and then set the slices to the side in a bowl.
Now, let's talk meat. I bought a ribeye from the meat counter for my philly cheesesteaks. I love using a ribeye for meals like this because the marbling (fat dispersed throughout the steak) really adds delicious flavor to the dish! Just check out what's fresh in the meat counter when you go to the store. A flank or top round steak would work just as well in this recipe. Anytime I am making sandwiches or burgers I plan for at least 1/4 lb meat per person, so I purchase a .6 lb cut of ribeye. That was plenty for two of us!
There are a couple of tricks when thinly slicing a piece of meat. The first, is semi-freezing the steak. Meat is WAY easier to slice, especially thinly, when it is semi-frozen. I place the steak in the freezer for about two hours or until ice crystal have just started to form.
The second tip is cutting your meat across the grain at an angle. I know it is probably hard to see in this picture, but some cuts of steak have a natural "grain" or fiber that runs through the meat. Cutting against the grain makes your meat more tender. All this means is that you want to make cuts that are perpendicular to the natural fibers that run through the meat. The grain is running right to left in the picture, so I make cuts from top to bottom.
The second tip is cutting your meat across the grain at an angle. I know it is probably hard to see in this picture, but some cuts of steak have a natural "grain" or fiber that runs through the meat. Cutting against the grain makes your meat more tender. All this means is that you want to make cuts that are perpendicular to the natural fibers that run through the meat. The grain is running right to left in the picture, so I make cuts from top to bottom.
Voila! What a pretty pile of steak!
I heat my skillet to medium and add a pat of butter.
When the butter starts to melt I add the onion and saute until tender. This takes about 7-8 minutes.
Once the onions are tender I remove them from the pan, leaving behind as much of the juices as I can.
I then add another small pat of butter and the steak pieces.
I saute the steak pieces until they are cooked through. This only takes about 2-3 minutes.
Now it's time to put it all together. I lay the hoagie rolls out on a baking sheet...
...evenly divide the onions between each roll
...and then the steak.
I top each sandwich with a few slices of thinly sliced cheddar cheese and then broil them for about 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
We were on a bit of a tight time schedule for dinner, so I skipped out on making a side and settled for some good ol' Lays potato chips. A fair enough side, but next time (and there will be a next time) I will make sure I serve these with some crispy french fries! Either way the sandwiches were awesome and this recipe was most definitely added to the McGlone recipe book of "keepers".
Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwiches
Ingredients
1 lb ribeye steak
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
4 french or hoagie rolls
12 slices thinly sliced cheddar cheese
1. Partially freeze steak. Thinly slice steak across the grain into bite sized strips.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter.
3. Add the onion slices and saute until tender.
4. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
5. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet and add the steak pieces.
6. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until done.
7. Slice the hoagies or french bread and set them open face up on a baking sheet.
8. Divide the onions and then steak evenly among each sandwich.
9. Top each sandwich with 3 slices of cheese.
10. Turn the broiler on high and broil the sandwiches for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
Serves: 4
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