A special thank you to Veal Made Easy for sponsoring this recipe post!
The all-American Philly Cheesesteak sandwich gets an Italian makeover!
This is the sandwich that had my husband’s colleagues clamoring at his office door at lunchtime as its aroma filled the whole clinic. Todd called me up to tell me, “everyone here is salivating over it.”
Every Philly Cheesesteak shop thinks they’ve got the best version. And I’m not going to attempt to compete with any of the iconic cheesesteak shops in Philly. What I’m doing is creating a fun Italian twist to this all-American classic. After all, if you’re going to add a twist to the Philly Cheesesteak it’s only fitting that it should be Italian, right? Philadelphia’s strong and proud Italian roots date back to the Colonial Era. And the Philly Cheesesteak’s inventor, Pat Olivieri, was also Italian-American.
And so we’re going to take this classic American dish and combine it with a classic Italian dish – Veal Milanese – to create this irresistibly delicious Milanese Philly Cheesesteak!
As the name suggests, Milanese is attributed to Milan, Italy where veal has been the traditional choice for these classic breaded and fried cutlets. Veal is much leaner and milder than beef; so lean that it almost melts in your mouth. Combine the delicate texture and flavor of veal with a delightfully crispy breaded coating and it’s no wonder Veal Milanese has been so popular that, through Italian immigrants, it made its way to South America where it’s still hugely popular today.
Incidentally, Veal Milanese and Wiener Schnitzel are virtually identical dishes (Wiener schnitzel cheesesteak, anyone?). In fact, the Italians and Austrians have been arguing for eons over who created it first. I won’t get involved in that one. I’ll just enjoy the dish :)
Let’s get started!
First, I made a video for you!
Look for very thin veal cutlets, no more than 1/4 inch thick. These are often labeled “veal scaloppini” because they’re the cuts used for the dish of that name. Veal farming has undergone a lot of positive changes in recent years with farmers committed to the best practices (eg, the cows are raised in groups, are never tethered or administered growth hormones, and are born and raised in the USA).
Lightly salt and pepper each veal cutlet. Dredge the cutlets on all sides in flour, dip them in egg yolk and then coat them on all sides in panko breadcrumbs shaking off any excess.
Immediately fry the cutlets. Don’t let them sit in the coating or the end result won’t be as crispy.
Another key to achieving a great crispy result is to make sure the oil is hot enough – but not too hot. You don’t want the coating to burn before the meat is done. Conversely, if the oil isn’t hot enough the coating will be on the soggy side because more oil will penetrate the crust. Having the oil the right temperature will result in a drier, less oily, crispier crust and a meat interior that is tender and juicy. The oil should be around 330ºF.
Fry the cutlets on both sides until golden brown. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate and place them in a warm oven. Do not tent them with aluminum foil or the steam will cause the crust to become soggy.
Fry the onions until lightly browned then add the bell peppers and mushrooms. Fry until crisp-tender and season with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Divide the vegetable mixture into serving portions.
Top each portion with cheese and let it melt.
Lightly toast the hoagie rolls and slather them down with mayonnaise and/or a good grainy mustard. Lay a cutlet on each hoagie roll and top with the vegetable/cheese mixture.
Serve immediately.
Buon Appetito! Enjoy!
Milanese Philly Cheesesteak
Ingredients
- 2 thin slices veal ,1/4 inch thick, often called "veal for scaloppini" to fit the size of the hoagie roll, or use more if they're small (can substitute pork or chicken, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness) .
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg ,lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 medium yellow onion ,halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper ,stems and seeds discarded, thinly sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper ,stems and seeds discarded, thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper ,stems and seeds discarded, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces button or cremini mushrooms ,thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices Provolone or Swiss cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Grainy mustard (optional)
- 4 crusty hoagie rolls ,lightly toasted
Instructions
- Place the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in their own separate shallow bowl. Lightly salt and pepper the veal cutlets. Dip the cutlets into the flour followed by the egg and the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess. With each step make sure the cutlet is evenly coated. Do not press the breadcrumbs into the meat and do not refrigerate or the coating will become soggy. Fry immediately.
- Heat some oil in a small frying pan until about 330 degrees F (see Note). Once hot, add the cutlets and fry briefly on each side until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven but do not tent with aluminum foil or the trapped steam will make the crust soggy.
- Fry the onions in the same oil (first discarding excess oil as necessary) until lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Add the bell peppers, the mushrooms, the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and fry until the peppers are crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes.
- Divide the mixture in half in the pan and place the sliced cheese on top to melt.
- Spread each side of the hoagie rolls with some mayonnaise and mustard. Place the fried cutlets on each roll and top with the vegetables. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
For more recipe inspiration visit Veal Made Easy!
This post is in partnership with Veal Made Easy. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.
Melville Kitson says
Your metric conversions are a joke. 41.67 grams is a little hard to achieve with the average home kitchen scale. I would suggest 40 g is closer to being realistic. I appreciate that you cater to a varied audience but a more realistic conversion on all your quantities would help rather than irritate.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Melville, I don’t make the conversions myself, the recipe box has a software program installed that automatically converts the amounts to metric and obviously does a precise job doing so. As you demonstrated yourself, you simply round up or down.
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
I think any fried cutlet would be fabulous in a cheesesteak sandwich. Love the fusion of flavors in those one!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says
What an amazing twist on a Philly cheesesteak – mouthwatering!
Judy says
I would use butter with a small amount of olive oil to cook the veges, put them on a plate then add more butter/oil as needed to cook the meat. Veal is very hard to find so I would very thinly slice chicken or turkey breast horizontally or use a rib eye steak. Freeze the meat for about 30 minutes to make slicing easier.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Butter and olive oil make everything taste better, Judy! Depending on where you live, yes, veal can be a little challenging to find. Most grocery stores carry veal scallopini but for many other cuts you have to go to a traditional butcher. Great tip for making slicing easier, I do the same thing for chicken.
Luanne says
My grandmother made breaded veal cutlet sandwiches when I was growing up. It has to be on that crusty, chewy roll to make it right! We always had fried peppers and sharp provolone cheese on it.
Thanks for your great site Kimberly!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Luanne! Food and memories go hand in hand.
Joanie @ ZagLeft says
This looks absolutely delicious. I just love the flavors here! Great step by step tutorial too!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
This looks absolutely delicious, and I just love all the interesting background info and the great tips and super-helpful, step-by-step photos! Such a great recipe post! I can definitely see why your husband had to fend off all those coworkers!
Cori Landon says
DELICIOUS! I made these today for my family and everyone LOVED them! Great flavor, my husband and son both commented on how tender the veal was. These cheesesteaks were a big hit, thank you!
Brenda says
I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood and my Mom would go to our closest Italian neighborhood to get the veal for her veal cutlet parmesan. You can’t go wrong with quality veal.
I use to watch the Travel Channel and the Food Paradise series. One episode was Cheese Steak paradise and wondered what kind of cheese they were using. It was so orange, I wondered if it was Velveeta.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Brenda! Agreed. And yes, it likely was Velveeta, I’ve seen several cheesesteak shops use it.
John Bolz says
Probaby Cheez whiz
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Right, or that.
Sharon @ What The Fork says
What a delicious looking sandwich!
Michelle | A Latte Food says
I love philly cheesesteaks! This version sounds incredible!
Sabrina says
This looks delicious! This is perfect for my husband’s work lunch!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
The Italian twist is such a great idea!! I love finding new veal dishes to make!
Karyn @ Pint Sized Baker says
We love veal, but rarely do I make it at home. It’s more of a restaurant favorite when we go out. But these sandwiches sound do yummy and easy to make! Think I’ll have to look for some cutlets next time I’m at the store.
Nicole Hood says
Wow oh wow! This version of a cheesesteak looks incredible!