My Mother-in-Law tells my children that she’s 35.  Once when my children asked how old I would be on my birthday and I told them, they said “Oh, you’ll be older than Granna!”  Ummm, I don’t think so!  I had to set them straight right away.

Having your turn come around to choose a recipe for everyone to make for the Barefoot Bloggers group is kind of like having a birthday.  Having to choose from all those delicious-sounding Ina Garten recipes is like having to choose just one gift to ask for!  After seeing this Caesar Club Sandwich, however, I really didn’t have to look much further.  This recipe is full of all of my favorite things – roasted chicken, homemade caesar dressing, sun-dried tomatoes, pancetta, parmesan cheese, and arugula – piled high on crispy ciabatta bread.  It sounded just perfect for the beginning of Spring.

And it was perfect.  All the layers of flavor melded together to make one fabulous sandwich (anchovy paste and all).  I even ate some of the leftovers the next day from the fridge, and they were still tasty.  Perfect for a picnic or party, I know I will be making this again and again.

Caesar Club Sandwich

from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients

• 2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 large ciabatta bread
• 2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
• 2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

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Speaking of New Year’s resolutions, was one of mine last year to stop procrastinating?  If so, I did not achieve it.  Most obviously not when I was sitting through twenty hours of continuing education classes in one weekend of December.  I should probably put that on the list for 2010.

One good thing about that weekend, however, was that I was staying near a ton of outlet stores.  I happened to wander into a bargain bookstore and scored big on some cheap-as-heck cookbooks.  Of course, right in the middle of my cookbook choosing frenzy one of my children had to make an urgent trip to the restroom – not located anywhere near the bookstore but coincidentally close to the Disney Store.

I made it back though, and one of my scores was nancy silverton’s sandwich book.  She was one of the founders of La Brea Bakery, a name you’ve probably seen in the bakery aisle of your grocery store.  The book is filled with fabulous ideas for sandwiches, and I’m well on my way to trying them all.  This was the first one that caught my eye, an open-faced prosciutto, arugula, and egg creation she calls Breakfast Sandwich.  But I made it not only for breakfast, but for lunch and for dinner – until I used up all the prosciutto.  Trust me, you’ll want to, too.

Breakfast Sandwich

adapted from nancy silverton’s sandwich book

serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 scallions, green parts only, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white-wine or white vinegar
• pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 slices white or whole-wheat sourdough bread
• 1 ounce prosciutto, thinly sliced into 4 pieces
• 1 cup arugula, loosely packed
• sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

Directions

1. Make the scallion oil:  Pulse the scallions and parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and process another few seconds to combine.
2. Poach the eggs:  Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Turn the heat to a low simmer and add the vinegar and salt. Crack the eggs into a small bowl (make sure the yolks aren’t broken). Stir the water in a slow circle, then carefully add eggs one at a time. Poach for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until whites are set and yolks are runny. Remove eggs with slotted spoon and rest on a paper towel or bread heel.
3. Grill the bread slices in a panini press or toast them.
4. Assemble sandwiches:  Spoon a tablespoon of scallion oil over the bread. Drape 2 slices of prosciutto over it, and cover with the arugula. Center a poached egg over each one, and drizzle a teaspoon of scallion oil over the egg. Sprinkle with salt.

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It’s pure magic when a recipe has just the right combination of flavors that when mixed together create an explosion in your mouth.  The Barefoot Contessa’s White Pizzas with Arugula does exactly that.

In this recipe, the Barefoot Bloggers‘ second pick-of-the-month by Andrea of Nummy Kitchen, you begin with a relatively quick and easy homemade pizza crust topped with an incredibly flavorful garlic oil.  Then a mixture of three cheeses are baked on top until melted and golden.  The crowning touch is an arugula salad tossed with a tart lemon vinaigrette that wilts slightly atop the pizza.  The result?  Just as I said, magic.

Anytime I make homemade pizza and can find nice arugula, I make one of these.  Not an arugula fan?  I’m sure you could substitute another green with a less assertive flavor.  Or if you haven’t had it before, this is a great way to try it.

For the recipe, click here.