I want to surprise my SO, a south Philly native, with a real, homemade Philly cheesesteak. I know, he shouldn’t eat that, because of his cholesterol and all that… You only live once, though. I want to make him a special dinner of his very favorite food, just because he’s so nice to me. And price is not a concern.
He introduced me to the wonder that is the cheesesteak when I moved out here. Back in the Midwest, where I grew up, some restaurants offered something by that name, and it was just sliced, grilled beef, topped with grilled onions and green peppers (sometimes mushrooms too) and some bland, white cheese. On a squishy white bun, much like Wonder bread. Now, I order them with lettuce, mayo and perhaps fried onions. At least once a week, and almost every day when I was pregnant.
Goodness. I’m addicted. We tried to go to both Pat’s and Geno’s in Philly a few months ago, on my birthday, but it was too cold for us to keep the kids out that long. We were determined to compare those two, because apparently, those are the original cheesesteaks. (Plus, my SO’s dad told us that Pat’s changed theirs, and they’re not as good now. We’ve already scheduled another trip up to Philly, because the question is almost keeping us awake at night. Pat’s, or Geno’s…)
So what do I need to buy to make this? What kind of meat? What kind of cheese? What are the best rolls? And how do I cook the meat? And when do I add the cheese?
(He likes lettuce, mayo and sometimes ketchup on his. No onions, ever, because of horrible heartburn. But I’d still like to know how to cook the onions, too, because I like them sometimes.)
