Not far from the Corniche along the Eastern Harbor in Alexandria, Egypt, there’s El Fallah, a tiny place that only makes one thing: liver sandwiches.
You say liver sandwich in Alexandria and people know you’re talking about this spot — it’s so famous that the owner has dozens of pictures of himself posing with Egyptian celebrities.
The reason the sandwich works is the meat is cut paper-thin and is generously seasoned with spices. That liver sandwich inspired this recipe in my book “My Egypt,” made with rib-eye, which applies similar flavors to steak sliced super-thin (as in, Philly cheesesteak thin).
If you’d rather make the sandwich with beef liver instead of steak, slice the liver in half horizontally, season generously with salt and pepper, and brush with the garlic butter used in this recipe. Broil the liver for 1 to 2 minutes or until brown on the outside and slightly pink in the center. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then slice it crosswise and add it to the bowl with the cooked shallots and other fixings.
You can make the garlic butter ahead and refrigerate it with the garlic cloves inside. This recipe makes more garlic butter than you need, but the extra keeps, sealed in an airtight container, for a month, ready to be pulled out and used to make many other things, like garlic bread or scampi.
Alexandria Steak Sandwiches
Serves 4
Ingredients
GARLIC BUTTER:
¼ pound (113g) unsalted butter
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
SANDWICH:
4 soft French sandwich rolls, cut in half and toasted cut side up
2 boneless rib-eye or New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces / 340 g each)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 small hot pepper (Anaheim or jalapeño), thinly sliced crosswise
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
1 lime, halved
1 handful cilantro sprigs
Directions
1. To make the garlic butter, in a small saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and a few pinches of pepper and let cool to a warm room temperature, about 10 minutes.
2. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the cut side of the sandwich rolls with the garlic butter, about 1 tablespoon per roll.
3. Trim some of the fat from the steak and save to render in the pan. Cut away any gristle. Slice each steak in half crosswise, then slice thinly across the grain into 3- to 4-inch- (7.5 to 10 cm) long pieces (try to get as close as you can to Philly cheesesteak thinness with the slices).
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, render the saved beef fat for 1 minute, then remove (it’s OK if not much fat comes out). Add the oil and heat for a few seconds, then add the sliced steak and sear briefly, turning the pieces once or twice and seasoning with a few pinches of salt and a generous pinch of pepper, until the beef is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the beef and any juices to a heatproof bowl and keep warm.
5. In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, hot pepper, cumin, turmeric, and paprika and cook until the shallots have softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add to the bowl with the steak and stir together well. Squeeze the lime over the bowl, then mix again, adding more salt if needed.
6. Divide the steak and shallots among the sandwich rolls and finish with cilantro sprigs. Slice the sandwiches in half before serving.
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Michael Mina (born Ashraf Mina) is the author of “My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots.” Originally from Cairo, Mina is founder of the MINA Group, which owns and operates more than 30 restaurants worldwide. He has received a Michelin star, and has cooked for three U.S. presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Excerpted from “My Egypt” by Michael Mina. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Michael Mina. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.