Cafe Lula

Philly cheese steak might be the best sammich ever invented, and pasta might be my favourite food ever, so it seemed only natural to combine the two. This is gooey, cheesy and unashamedly tacky. Make it and put it in your face.

Philly cheese steak pasta

A Cafe Lula recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

15g/1 heaped tbsp butter

15g/1.5 tbsp plain flour

250ml/1 cup milk (I used skimmed)

40g/1.5 oz cheddar, grated

black pepper, to season

a pinch of oregano

a pinch of cayenne pepper

olive oil, for frying

3 shallots, chopped

200g/7 oz steak (I used sirloin), cut into small slices

1/3 red pepper, chopped

125g/4.5 oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced

160g/5.75 oz penne

In a small pan, heat the butter over a medium-high heat until melted and beginning to bubble. Add the flour and stir quickly, making sure the flour absorbs all the butter and letting the mixture get nice and hot. Turn the heat to medium and add the milk a little at a time, stirring quickly after each addition and allowing it to be fully absorbed before adding the next bit (I added the milk about 25ml at a time). Turn the heat to low and add the grated cheddar, stirring until the cheese has melted. Season with the black pepper, oregano and cayenne. Leave over a low heat while you cook the steak.

Start the pasta cooking. In a wok or large frying pan, heat a little olive oil over a medium-high heat and add the shallots. Fry for a few minutes, until softened. Add the steak and fry for about a minute and a half to brown the meat, stirring regularly. Add the mushrooms and peppers and fry for around another three minutes. Pour the cheese sauce into the steak and set over a low heat while you wait for the pasta to finish cooking.

When the pasta has cooked, drain and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately with some parmesan.