The cheesesteak began at a hot dog stand in South Philadelphia in 1930, when Pat Olivieri and his brother Harry grew tired of eating their own stock for lunch and grilled some thinly sliced beef with onions instead. A passing cab driver asked for one, then advised them to forget the hot dogs. They took the hint, opened Pat's King of Steaks in 1940, and the city has been arguing about steak sandwiches ever since. Cheese came later, and even its arrival has rival versions, which is very much in keeping with the sandwich.

The rules are short and fiercely kept. Ribeye, sliced so thin you can almost read through it, cooked in minutes and chopped on the griddle with the edge of a spatula. Onions, ordered by saying wit or witout. Cheese from a short list of three: provolone, American or cheese sauce. And a long Italian roll, soft inside with a crust that gives rather than shatters. Eaten leaning forward, elbows out, it is a sandwich designed for standing up, which makes it a natural for the grandstand at any American Grand Prix.

The fried onions

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Method

1. Heat the oil in the second frying pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the sliced onions and the salt and stir so every slice is coated in oil.
2. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and spreading the onions back out each time. If they start to catch and blacken at the edges, turn the heat down a little and add a tablespoon of water.
3. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and leave the onions in the pan while you cook the steak.

The steak

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) boneless ribeye steak
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Wrap the steak tightly in plastic wrap or put it in a freezer bag and lay it flat in the freezer for 30 to 40 minutes.
2. Unwrap the steak on the cutting board. With the sharpest knife you have, cut across the grain (across the direction of the lines of muscle) into the thinnest slices you can manage, about 1/16 inch (2 mm) thick. Hold the steak with your fingertips tucked under, and let the knife do long, smooth strokes rather than sawing. Do not worry if the slices are ragged; they will be chopped.
3. Set the cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat for about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and tilt it around the pan.
4. Add half the beef and spread it out in a thin layer with a spatula. Season with half the salt and pepper. Leave it alone for 1 minute so it browns underneath, then turn and toss it with the two spatulas.
5. Using the edge of one spatula, chop down through the beef again and again, flipping and gathering it as you go, for about 1 minute more, until it is in small, rough pieces. Tip it onto a plate. Wipe the pan with a wad of paper towel held in tongs, add the remaining oil, and repeat with the second half of the beef and the rest of the salt and pepper.

Melting the cheese and filling the rolls

Ingredients

• 12 slices (about 8 oz / 225 g) mild provolone cheese
• 4 long Italian rolls
• to taste pickled hot or sweet peppers, ketchup

Method

1. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Wrap the split rolls loosely in foil and warm them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes while you finish the meat.
2. Return all the beef to the skillet over medium heat. Shape it into four long piles, each about the length of a roll. For anyone ordering wit, fold a quarter of the onions into a pile.
3. Lay three slices of provolone over each pile, overlapping them. Cover the pan loosely with a large lid or a sheet of foil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Open a warm roll and hold it face down over one pile. Slide a spatula under the meat and, in one motion, flip the pan contents and the roll over together so the filling lands inside the bread. Repeat with the others.

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