Philly in New York?

So I don't know about you guys, but I often find myself stopping on the Food Network in awe of half of the stuff professionals and amateurs are making. One of my favorite chefs happen to be Bobby Flay whose expertise happen to be in grilling which also happens to be some of the best food you can make in my opinion.

However, living in NYC without a backyard or rooftop access makes it very difficult (read: impossible) to grill. So instead, I often look to my stove and a pan to do my "grilling."

Today I decided I wanted to try my "chops" at a Philly Cheese steak and I can report, it really isn't difficult or time consuming at all. Let's break it down:

I hit the supermarket and purchased USDA round ribeye steak sliced thin. I highly recommend doing this instead of cutting it yourself. I personally like my cheese steak pretty straight forward so the only other things I picked up were an onion, green peppers, American cheese and of course, French bread. (Make sure you pick a good break for this as too soft the hero will get soggy, too hard, and you simply won't enjoy the sandwich as much).

So I got home and got my equipment: A 12" stainless steel pan, cutting board, bowl and a knife.
First step was to cut up the onion and peppers. I used half of a bell pepper and a whole small onion. I then put a bit of olive oil in the pan and set the heat to high. First, I threw the onions in:

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A word of warning, you are going to get some sizzle and pop from the oil, just be careful as you saute your onions. You want them cooked enough where they are limp and lose their normal "crispness."

I then added the bell peppers and sprinkled a bit of black pepper on to it:

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Next I took out the steak and laid them on my cutting board. I decided to not marinade these as I thought the flavor from the caramelized onions and peppers along with the cheese would be plenty. I did sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on both sides however.
I then moved the peppers and onions into a side bowl. I threw a bit more olive oil in the pan and placed the pieces of steak on the pan. Don't go to far from the pan as the steak will cook very quickly. I'm talking about maybe about 30 seconds on each side.

Once I flipped the steak I tossed the onions/peppers back in the pan and then proceeded to cut the steak (which is why I went with a stainless steel pan vs. non-stick). I then placed two slices of American cheese over the mound of meat and veggies.

(click to enlarge)

(side note. Feel free to use any kind of cheese you want. Provolone is another popular choice, or the classic Philly Cheesesteak style of using Cheese Whiz. In that case, just put the cheese directly on the bread).

I then placed the bread over the food and used that and a spatula to scoop the steak mixture onto my bread. And here is the finished product:

(click to enlarge)

This literally took me 15 minutes to complete and I can confirm it was delicious. I bought enough for 2 sandwiches and the cost came out to about $10.
If you decide to give this a go, comment back with how you made it and how it came out.

Until next time....