Saturday, January 29, 2005

Philadelphia "Hoagie/Grinder" Sandwich

Here is the OTHER famous Philadelphia sandwich:

BASICS:

"Hoagie" rolls (submarine sandwich rolls)
Vegetable oil
Shredded lettuce
Sliced tomatoes (thin)
Sliced white onions
Oregano
Salt and pepper
(See optional additions below)

Slice roll lengthwise but do not cut all the way through.
Drizzle both sides of the open roll with oil.*
Place about 4 oz. of meat or meat filling of your choice (turkey, roast beef, ham, tuna or chicken salad, cheesesteak, plain steak, pizza steak, just cheese, etc.)on the roll.
Next, if desired, place about three slices of cheese of you choice on top of the meat.
Next, place three to four thin slices of tomatoes on top of the meat/cheese.
On top of the tomatoes, place sliced onions. Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper on top of the onions. You may drizzle some oil on top to moisten the sandwich more.

This is the basic hoagie. A "Grinder" is the same, with another layer of cheese on top and baked at 350 degrees or broiled in an oven until the cheese on top melts and/or is a little browned, and eaten warm.

* For turkey, roast beef or ham and cheese, mayonnaise maybe subsituted for the oil on the bread. It's a matter of choice, but oil is the standard.

An "Italian Hoagie" is made with salami, genoa salami and cappiola ham.
An "American Hoagie" is made with bologna, salami and cappiola ham.

Additions of choice are sweet and hot peppers and pickles.

Philadelphia Cheese Steak

If you have ever been to the City of Brotherly Love,
(not applicable to sports fans, we are so passionate
about sports and winning that we boo our own teams when needed.
We are famous for belting opposing footballs teams with snowballs!)
"Philly" is famous for its Cheesesteak sandwiches.
As we should be.
There IS no greater sandwich.
It is hard to find one in another city, even if a place
advertises that it can make them. They are never the same.
But you can! Here is how to do it!


First you need what we call "Hoagie" rolls.
(Hoagies are the OTHER Philly sandwich. Recipe to follow).
In your part of the country, this is a submarine sandwich roll.
Slice the roll lengthwise but do NOT cut it all the way through.

Next, saute some sliced onions in oil until translucent. Set aside.

In the same pan or grill pan, start frying "Steak 'Ums" sliced
beef steaks or sirloin steak, sliced super thin (1/16" thick or less,
I mean paper thin). Cut the steak up with two knives into bite size
pieces as it is frying.

Also, as it is frying, add the fried onions.

When the meat is cooked, a minute or two, shape the meat to fit
the roll, place American cheese slices (or the the cheese of your choice
but American is standard)on top to melt. You can turn the heat off
at this point.

When the cheese melts, place the opened roll face down on top
the cheesesteak. With a spatula underneath the length of the
sandwich, flip it over and off the grill.

Usually served with ketchup, but experiment with other toppings of your choice.

Can also be made into a hoagie.
A pizzasteak is a steak sandwich (simply no cheese)
with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Add a little sauce to the meat
when it is done, then add the cheese.