Sometimes, I get these food ideas that run through my head and I just can’t let it go. I obsess: is it too much? How can I pull this off? Should I even do this? The answer is usually always yes, do it and make it work ( a la Tim Gunn)!
Such is the case for today’s dish, a deconstructed Philly Cheesesteak. The last time I did a riff on a cheesesteak, it was delicious, but it did not photo well. It’s very hard to make sandwiches look sexy, so kudos to all the food artists out there who can make that happen. I love a “Philly” just as much as the next guy, albeit without Cheez Whiz (blech), so I decided to put it on the pedestal it rightly deserves.
I grabbed a dry-aged prime tomahawk ribeye from my local Wegman’s and prepared it to medium-rare. I lowered the flame and grilled some halloumi cheese (CHEESE STEAK...get it?!) which is a feta whose properties allow it to be grilled without losing its integrity. I finally got to employ this wonderful stuffed onion recipe I’ve had catalogued in the back of my brain for years (I just can’t let food thoughts go, guys) and then came the peppers. What would I do with those? How can I make sautèed peppers sexy? I toyed with the idea of making a green pepper gastrique, but I didn’t want to change the nature of the pepper flavor too much, so I opted to make a simple green pepper sauce and placed some dots around the serving platter. This was fun, and really delicious, hope you enjoy it!
Cheesesteak Mangia-Style
2 lb tomahawk-cut prime dry-aged ribeye
Halloumi cheese
Baked Onions (see recipe below)
Green pepper sauce (see recipe below)
To initiate this dish, you need to start by making the baked onions (see recipe below).
When the onions are nearing completion, pre-heat your grill for about 20 minutes on high flame. Meanwhile, dry the steaks and season aggressively with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper and sprinkle on some garlic powder and allow your steaks to come up toward room temperature.
Grill the steak over high heat, 7 minutes per side. Don’t worry about rotating the steak 45-degrees to obtain cross-hatch patterns (of course, if you want to do that, you’ll need to lower your heat on the grill to reduce flare-ups and cooking time will increase).
Remove the steak from the grill to a plate and loosely cover with foil and let sit for about 15 minutes. The steaks will be medium-rare.
Lower the heat, dab the cheese with paper towels and grill the halloumi about 3-5 minutes per side, obtaining solid grill marks and allowing the middle of the cheese to soften.
When ready to plate, place the steak on the platter, place the onion and grilled cheese around the meat and either spoon the sauce on the plate, or pour into a condiment squeeze bottle and have fun making shapes or dots.
Baked Onions with Fennel Bread Crumbs
from Food & Wine, Nancy Silverton
3 medium onions
Extra-virgin olive oil
Chicken stock (or Vegetable stock)
6 bay leaves, fresh preferred
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1.5 tsp minced fresh sage
Preheat the oven to 425.
Halve the onions pole-to-pole and remove the peel, keeping the root in-tact. Brush the onion halves with some oil, season with salt, and place the halves, cut-side down, into a baking dish.
Pour the stock into the baking dish, and scatter the bay leaves. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for about 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the fennel in a small skillet, over medium heat. Let cool slightly and grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Combine with the panko and sage and 2 tbsp of oil. Stir to combine and reserve.
After 90 minutes of baking, carefully remove the cover and gently flip the onions. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and return the dish, uncovered to the oven. Bake another 15 minutes or so until the topping is browned. Serve warm.
Green Pepper Sauce
Green bell pepper
Large shallot, minced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic clove, minced
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
Fistful of kale leaves, stems removed, cut into about 1-inch pieces
Peel, seed and dice the pepper. Preheat a small skillet with a tbsp of oil and saute the pepper and shallot, until softened. Season with salt and black pepper. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally, and cook for 5 minutes. Then add in the kale, stirring until just softened, about 2 minutes.
Carefully transfer the vegetables and hot stock to a blender and process until thickened.
Taste for seasoning. Let cool slightly.
___________________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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