Phillyup

This is an adaptation of an old family recipe.  Not my old family, but somebody’s. Probably.  I don’t even know whom.  Dad found a recipe for Cream of Reuben Soup somewhere--I think it was in the paper--back when the two of us were doing lots of culinary experimentation together.  It was so good that when we finished the first batch and were trying to decide what to do with the rest of the corned beef, we just made another batch. We did not regret that decision.

Years later, while living in Oregon and thinking about soup through the cold autumn nights, I decided to try a variation and concocted Cream of Philly Cheesesteak Soup by using Reuben Soup as a guideline and adjusting ingredients according to the differences in the sandwiches.  At the time, I was also toying around with bread recipes, so I made some bread bowls which I lined with provolone cheese.  I still think the concept was sound, but my execution was a little off: the capacity of my bread bowls was so small that I had to fill them three times before I felt like I’d had enough soup, and bread bowls--being made of bread, not bowl--do not take well to repeated refillings.

But the soup was very good.

I probably should have written down the recipe somewhere.

This year, since I had finally made Dad’s Reuben Soup on my own, I thought it was time to try to reconstruct Philly Cheesesteak Soup.  This trial might have been better than the first batch, if only for the inclusion of mushrooms.  I don’t know how I overlooked that before.  The ingredients and method I used this time are below; details and some food porn follow.

This meal is dedicated to the Italian community of Philadelphia, whether they want it or not.

Ryan's Cream of Philly Cheesesteak Soup
6 C chicken broth (I probably would have preferred beef; vegetable would also work)
1 pound beef top round or sirloin
8 oz sliced mushrooms (see notes, below)
1 C chopped green bell pepper
1/2 C chopped red pepper
1/2 C chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t thyme
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t tarragon
1/4 t liquid smoke (optional)
2-3 shakes hot sauce
3 T corn starch
1/3 C water
1 C heavy (whipping) cream

1. Cut meat into pieces small enough to share a soup spoon with some veggies. Brown over medium heat in a heavy skillet, then dump the meat into a large soup pot. Beef juices can be added to soup pot or drained away. Your call.
2. Put peppers and onions in skillet and cook over med-high to high heat, stirring occasionally. They should get slightly seared, but the goal is not to fully cook the vegetables, just discolor them a little. Think of how the peppers and onions look in a Philly Cheesesteak; that's the goal. Add the mushrooms when the veggies are basically done.  You just need them to soften a little and soak up some of the oil and leftover beef juices, then you can dump all of that into the soup pot.
3. Add broth, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, pepper, tarragon, liquid smoke, and hot sauce to pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaves. Mix cornstarch with 1/3 C water and stir smooth, then add to soup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Serve with provolone cheese and toasted bread crumbs or cheese-lined bread bowls.

I like to have things ready when I start, but you can often take advantage of timing to help with that. For example, if shredded cheese is the last thing that goes into a soup that simmers for half an hour, that gives you plenty of time to shred the cheese if you were unable, as I often am, to find the cheese you want pre-shredded in the store. When it came to making this soup, I used a similar organizational tactic: cut all the veggies first and set them aside, then cut the meat. That way, the meat doesn't have a chance to contaminate the veggies. Veggies can't contaminate meat.

After I cooked the meat, I dropped it into the soup pot and threw the veggies in the skillet.  Peppers and onions first.  Keep the heat medium-high; the goal is to sear the edges a little, giving them some color, but leaving them to get really cooked in the soup pot.  It’s ok to add a little oil (I used olive; vegetable or canola is fine, too) to make sure they don’t stick, and if you’re using cast iron, it’s good for the pan, too.

Last time, I used top round; I only know this because I remember I checked the Wikipedia article on cheesesteaks to find out what meat was traditionally used, and I generally can’t afford ribeye.  This time, the Chief Taster elected to get the beef from her favorite meat vendor at the local farmers’ market, and the very nice lady who worked there gave me a blank look when I told her what I wanted.  Then I explained why I wanted it, and she offered me a soup bone or some stew meat, but when I told her I wanted to use what would be in the sandwich version, she offered me something they had labeled “sandwich meat,” which turned out to be very thinly sliced raw beef.  That will work.  The real point here is: get some good-quality beef without going crazy.  It’s just going into soup, but you want it to be a little tender, and to cut it into small enough pieces that you can easily eat it with a spoon already full of veggies and broth.  I should have cut what I had a little more before tossing it in the skillet, but it worked out ok, though I think I overcooked the meat a little.  The Chief Taster was still happy with it, but when somebody else makes you dinner, one usually doesn’t complain.

Is this the definitive recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Soup? Sure. For now. But I hardly ever make things exactly the same way twice, because I keep trying to improve upon them, or try a different angle. It is entirely likely that in the future, I'll hit upon a new variation, and post that here, too. But until then, this is right. Modify to your stomach's content. That's what cooking's all about.