You may recall from reading my recipe for focaccia that I made that recipe just so I could try to replicate the amazing sandwich I had at Olympic Provisions in Portland, Oregon. Remember, the place that literally made me cry? There I had a sandwich that melted in my mouth. It was fabulous. Full of complex flavors. It was a roasted pork loin sandwich made on homemade focaccia with homemade mayonnaise, escarole,and carmelized onions. I made my version of this sandwich on Friday after my miserable excuse for a refrigerator (Amana, but I'll devote a whole blog to that disaster) exploded. Well, the refrigerator didn't explode, but the glass shelf did, while in my hands. Yes, you read that right. I had removed the glass to clean it, and while walking to the sink, it literally exploded into tens of thousands of pieces while in my hands. No, I didn't hit it on anything. It scared the life out of me, and took two hours of my life away in cleaning time.
Anyways, I needed something to pick me up after that nightmare, so of course, I decided to cook. Unfortunately, I had no pork loin (not even in my freezer!), so I used chicken breast instead. And as I did not have escarole, so I used arugula. Now, don't be fooled. This is no perfect recipe. It is good, don't get me wrong. But the escarole had a textural integrity that the arugula did not, and the chicken breast was tasty, but was no roasted pork loin. Worth trying? Absolutely! It comes in four parts. I know, a lot of work for a sandwich, but it not only is lovely, but tasty too. Next time I'll give it a more accurate try and let you know how it turns out.
Focaccia
Rosemary Focaccia
2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz.) bread flour (I like King Arthur unbleached bread flour)
1 t. (.25 oz.) salt (not kosher here, but rather fine grained salt)
1 t. instant yeast
3 T. (1.5 oz.) olive oil
1 cup (8 oz.) water, at room temperature
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
Using the stand mixer, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast using the paddle attachment. Add 3T. olive oil and water and stir until combined. Change over to the dough hook. Knead on medium low speed for 7 minutes or until you form a smooth, sticky dough that clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.
Sprinkle a 6 inch square of flour on your counter. Place your dough on the square. Stretch it out to this size. Lift each side and fold over in thirds, like an envelope. Walk away for 5 minutes to let the gluten in the dough relax.
Stretch the dough to be twice its size and fold over as before, in thirds. Mist with spray oil, sprinkle with flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, repeat.
Let the dough ferment for one hour on your counter. It should swell. If your counters are stone, and it is winter, and if your house is cold like mine, this may take up to 3 or more hours depending on the temperature. You will see pockets of bubbles on the surface of the dough when it is ready for the next step.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle with 2 T. olive oil. Lift the dough and place it on the parchment paper. Put 2 T. olive oil on top of the rectangular dough. Use your fingers to stretch it out until it is about 1/2 inch thickness. Heavily dimple the surface with your fingers. Sprinkle on the remaining 2 T. olive oil, 1 t. crushed dried rosemary, and 1/2 t. coarse sea salt. Cover with plastic, or place in a plastic bag and let rest in the refrigerator (or on your cold porch) for at least 8 hours to retard the dough (this makes for a much more complexly flavored dough).
3 hours before baking (or 6 if your kitchen is cold), redimple your dough and add more oil if desired. Proof at room temperature for 3 hours or until about 1 inch thick. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the oven in the middle position. When the oven gets to temperature, put your focaccia in, lowering the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the pan 180 degrees and continue to bake until browned, about 5 minutes.
Immediately transfer the dough to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing or serving.
Mayonnaise
1 egg
2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. white wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
2 cups canola oil
Directions
For this recipe, you'll need either a food processor, blender, or bowl and whisk. It is almost foolproof with a food processor, but I've had some difficulty with my mayonnaise breaking when using a blender. I made this last week with the food processor after failing with the blender. It was super easy! Place your egg and lemon juice in the processor. Process for 5 seconds. Add the salt, vinegar and mustard. Process 5 more seconds. Next, fill a 2 cup glass measuring cup. If you have a small hole in the bottom of your plunger mechanism of the food processor, start the processor and begin to pour in the oil into the plunger. It will stream in the oil at the perfect speed. Do this until all of the oil has been emulsified. To do this with the blender or in a bowl, follow the first set of instructions up to when you add the oil. Then, very slowly, in a very thin stream, whisk or blend in the oil until emulsified. Homemade mayonnaise is amazing. There is no replacement, particularly in something simple like this sandwich.
Chicken
1 t. canola oil
2 t. Cajun seasoning (mix of thyme, onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika)
Directions
Turn your broiler on to low if you can. Else on to high. Place your chicken breast, one at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Gently pound the breast to equal thickness. It does not need to be very thin, just the thickness of the thinnest part of the breast. Place the breasts onto a cookie sheet, spread with oil and seasonings. Broil on low (or 8 inches from a high broiler) for about 7 minutes until lightly browned. Flip and repeat. Cook until the chicken feels firm to the touch. Note: the amount of time it will take to cook yor chicken breasts will be completely dependent on the amount of heat that is coming from your broiler. Just keep and eye on them, checking every few minutes. Do not overcook them. As soon as they are firm to the touch, they are done.
Sandwich
2 medium onions, sliced to about 1/4 inch thick
1 t. olive oil
pinch of salt
Arugula
Mayonnaise
Focaccia
Directions
Slice your focaccia to be about the size of your chicken breasts. You'll need two pieces per sandwich if you made your focaccia 1 inch thick as was suggested. If it is more thick, you can slice one piece in half through the middle to make two pieces.
Caramelize your onions in the olive oil with the salt on medium low heat until deeply golden brown.
When your chicken is cooked through, let it rest out of the oven for at least five minutes. While the chicken is resting to redistribute the juices, lightly toast your focaccia on both sides in the broiler.
Spread mayonnaise on each slice of focaccia. Top with caramelized onions, chicken breast, and arugula. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the arugula and enjoy!
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