When Giuseppe Manco moved to the United States, he brought his skills, as a Neapolitan pizza chef who likes to experiment, with him. He successfully challenged himself with pizza in the ‘romana’ style – plus a variety of other Roman dishes at his New York restaurant Mani in Pasta. Following the success at his New York location, Manco decided to reconnect with his Neapolitan roots, so he added his own special recipe for cuzzetiello to the menu – in an effort to bring something new, beyond the classic Neapolitan pizza, to his American audience.
During a dinner party with some of his closest friends, Giuseppe had the brilliant idea to make the traditional cuzzetiello, feeling moved by nostalgia for his own city – Naples. So he made the sauce, and wrapped the traditional pane cafone bread around it, just as the Neapolitans do when they make cuzzetiello. While eating and discussing the recipe over dinner, Manco decided Americans should get to try this Neapolitan specialty, too.
"Nobody had brought cuzzetiello overseas," he said. So, when the Deco Food Hall opened its doors last January, it was time for his cuzzetiello recipe to make its debut. Manco created this recipe especially for the new location of Mani in Pasta, housed within the Deco food hall – where he pays tribute to both Naples and America, with a particular take on the American Philadelphia cheesesteak classic you should definitely try!
The Recipe: Deco Cheesesteak by Giuseppe Manco
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 ¾ teaspoons fresh yeast or active dry yeast
4 ½ cups cold water
2 ¾ tablespoons sea salt
12 ½ cups 0 or 00 high-gluten flour
Oil, for greasing
Nonstick cooking spray
Method:
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until the yeast is creamy, about 1 minute. Stir until the yeast dissolves. In a large bowl, add the sea salt, followed by the yeast mixture and the flour; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly coat another large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it over to make sure the top is covered in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and store someplace warm; let rise until doubled in size, about 6 hours.
Cut the dough into 9-ounce sections and shape the pieces into oval dough balls. Place the balls on a nonstick surface or on parchment paper. Then cover with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 8 to 12 hours.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours. Your homemade dough is now ready to be baked in a pre-heated oven at 450°F.
For The Revised Cheesesteak Filling:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, peeled and sliced thin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 ½ pounds ribeye steak, cut into 4 equal-size sections
4 hollowed-out heels of a rustic bread loaf (called pane cafone)
½ lb provola di Agerola or smoked provolone cheese, sliced thin
Method:
Heat a griddle or a large, heavy frying pan (ideally cast-iron) over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan – once it begins to shimmer, add the onion and stir to combine. Sauté, stirring every so often, (perhaps adding some water), until the onion has released its juices and begins to soften and brown. (This should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.
Assembly:
Heat griddle or frying pan with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over high heat until nearly smoking. In the meantime, cut the meat into thin strips and season it meat well with salt and pepper. Place steaks on a griddle or pan and continue to cook until well-browned (but still very rare).
Add the juicy caramelized onions to the meat and stir until combined. Chop the smoked provola (or provolone) into thin pieces and add to the mixture of meat and onions. Stir until everything melts together (and smells delicious).
Add the cheesesteak filling to the hollowed out pieces of bread and bake in a pre-heated oven at 400°F for about 4-5 minutes.
Your cheesesteak is ready to eat.
Buon appetito!
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