Vishesh's Grilled Cheese Breadsticks and Marinara

One of my favorite combinations of all time is the Italian triad of flour, cheese, and tomatoes: pizza crust covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella, pasta topped with marinara and parmesan, tomato soup garnished with asiago and breadcrumbs. It's just perfection! With just a little effort, the beloved grilled cheese sandwich can be tweaked to make a fun finger-food appetizer.

Grilled Cheese Breadsticks and Marinara
1 grilled cheese sandwich
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground oregano and basil
salt and pepper to taste

 In a bowl, reduce the sauce in the microwave for 60 seconds. Add the spices and stir well. Cut the sandwich into 4-5 strips, de-crusting if desired. Dip and enjoy!

Nadya's Dessert Panini

Who says panini need to be savory? Sandwich some sliced banana between bread spread with creamy nutella, sweetened with a drizzle of honey - and see how wonderfully sweet panini can be! Thank you to Nadya for sharing this recipe.

Nadya's Dessert Panini 
Two slices of bread
One chopped banana
Nutella
Honey
Cinnamon sugar

Spread nutella on the bread. Add the chopped bananas.  Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.  Put it in the panini press for approximately 2 minutes or until golden brown.

*Please do not use peanut butter in the panini press to be considerate of those who have allergies! Thanks!

Nadya's Breakfast Panino

We love panini. And we love breakfast. So I think you know what's coming...yes, why not a breakfast panino?? I know what you're thinking - that's a genius idea! And you're absolutely correct. We want to thank Nadya Kim for her gorgeous photo and creative recipe giving new life to the fried eggs we all know and love from the omelette station. You can customize it anyway you like, jazz it up with cheese and other panino fixin's, and grill it to perfection.

Nadya's Breakfast Panino 
1 fried egg from the egg station at the Ratty with mushrooms, onions, peppers, and tomatoes
Two slices of bread
One slice of cheese
Ham or other sandwich meat
Ketchup

Go to the egg station at the Ratty and order one fried egg with the desired condiments (I usually ask for all the veggies). Once you pick up you fried egg, get two slices of bread. Spread ketchup on the slices of bread Add the egg, slice(s) of cheese, and ham (or other sandwich meat), between the bread slices Put it in the panini press for approximately 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Jennifer's Wafflewich Panini

What do you get when you cross a waffle with a panini? A wafflewich panini! (or waffini...or paniffle...?)

Special thanks to Jennifer Pan for sending us this ingenious recipe. According to Jennifer, "you can do a lot more with waffle paninis" - we're thinking roast beef and swiss; grilled chicken and roasted red peppers; chicken fingers, lettuce, and honey mustard sauce...the wafflewich panini possibilities are endless.

Jennifer's Wafflewich Panini
1 waffle
1 slice ham
1 slice turkey
1-2 slices cheese
lettuce

Make a waffle, cut in half. The two halves are now your "bread." If you're really hungry you can just make 2 separate waffles.

Pile one of your waffle halves with everything you'd like in your panini. I usually go for ham, turkey, cheese and lettuce. Drizzle the other waffle half with maple syrup. (If you don't want syrup in your panini you can skip this step, it's still good.)

Put the 2 waffle halves together so that the syrup side is on the inside of the sandwich. Panini press it.

Jonathan's Chicago Dog

To put it in the wise words of Wikipedia itself: "A Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago Dog, or Chicago Red Hot is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard; chopped white onions; bright green sweet pickle relish; a dill pickle spear; tomato slices or wedges; pickled sport peppers; and a dash of celery salt. The complete assembly of a Chicago hot dog is said to be 'dragged through the garden' due to the many toppings."

Jonathan Sit emailed us with a fantastic recipe for a unique version of Chicago Dog "dragged through the Ratty Grill Line." Feel free to get creative with your toppings - but whatever you do, don't make the preposterous error of squirting ketchup on your Chicago Dog.

Jonathan's Chicago Dog

hotdog and bun

tomato slice

pickle spear (end of sandwich line)

onions

relish

banana peppers

yellow mustard

celery salt

Put the hotdog in the bun. Add relish, onions, banana peppers, and mustard. Cut tomato slice in half, add halves to bun. Add pickle spear. Add dash of celery salt. Done! 

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese

Spinach artichoke dip is delicious. It's probably not the spinach and artichoke's responsibility. That's right ooey gooey melty Cheese, we're looking at you. But we have to admit that Cheese's intrinsic deliciousness is buoyed by the humble presence of Spinach and Artichoke. Bet you didn't know that spinach artichoke grilled cheese could reveal such deep insights into life, did you?

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese
2 slices rustic bread
artichoke hearts
baby spinach
1 slice swiss cheese
1 slice mozzarella cheese
nonstick vegetable oil spray

Sandwich the artichoke hearts, baby spinach, and two cheeses between the bread. Spray the panini press with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Place the sandwich on the grill and grill for 2-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy and the cheese is just melted.

Charlesfield Wannabe Sandwich

The Ivy Room is such a classy place to eat lunch. Everyone has his or her favorite sandwich. For us, the clear winner is the Charlesfield. Don't let those Waterman lovers tell you otherwise. The combination of mushrooms, melted muenster cheese, tangy horseradish mayo, and a generous pile of Boar's Head roast beef make this sandwich perfectly saliva-inducing. We wouldn't change a thing about it...except maybe try to recreate it at the Ratty!

Charlesfield Wannabe Sandwich

created by Yanqiang Tan

2 slices pumpernickle bread

2 Tbsp mayo (can substitute horseradish sauce, or thousand island dressing)

2 slices meunster cheese

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced roast beef

1 lettuce leaf

3 tomato slices

1. Put beef, mushrooms, and cheese in a neat stack on a small plate, and nuke it in the microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is just melted.

2. Spread mayo on both slices of bread.

3. Layer the bread with the beef, lettuce, and tomato.

4. Cut in half and devour.

Muenster Muffin Melt

When Providence weather gives you the chills, make yourself a Muenster Muffin Melt. Thanks to our friend Yanqiang for yet another oozingly scrumptious creation!

(I confess that I personally did not taste the finished product but who really would doubt hot melted cheese on toasted English muffins?)



Yanqiang's Muenster Muffin Melt
slice of muenster
sliced mushrooms
sliced zucchini
roast beef
1 English muffin, sliced and toasted

Toast the English muffin. Place bottom of muffin on a plate, and top with veggies, beef, and cheese. Top with other half of muffin. Microwave for 40 seconds or until cheese is melted and oozing onto the plate. Eat on a chilly autumn day.

"Andreas-style" Spinach Mushroom Pita Sandwich

As I was savoring a particularly juicy, cheese-smothered mushroom in my Greek veggie sandwich the other day at Andreas, it suddenly occurred to me: I had, at the Ratty, pretty much all the ingredients conveniently at my disposal to recreate that very same sandwich.

Mushrooms, spinach, tomato, onion, swiss and American cheese are ordinary on their own but absolutely wonderful in a warm pita nuked in the microwave for a minute or so. Served with a romaine lettuce salad, you could seriously imagine that you are dining at a particular Greek restaurant on Thayer street.

"Andreas-style" Spinach Mushroom Pita Sandwich

1 pita

plateful of spinach

1 slice of American cheese

2 slices of swiss cheese

sliced mushrooms

2-3 slices of tomato

2-3 onion rings

golden raisins (optional but very yummy)

1 large piece of wax paper

1. Microwave spinach and mushrooms on a plate for 2 minutes, or until spinach is cooked.

2. Place tomatoes and onions in a pita. Layer spinach-mushroom mixture on top and sprinkle with golden raisins, if using.

3. Place cheese on top and roll the pita up on both sides. Wrap a wax paper "diaper" on one end.

4. Nuke in the microwave for about 1 minute to melt the cheese.

5. Serve warm with a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumbers (olives and feta too if available).

Sunny Side Up Grilled Cheese

What's better than an egg over easy? An egg over easy with cheese! What's better than that? An egg over easy with cheese stuffed into a toasty piece of grilled Seven Stars bread. Mmmmm.

Sunny Side Up Grilled Cheese

1 slice whole wheat Seven Stars bread

1 egg, over light, with cheese

1. Order one egg, over light, with cheese from the omelette bar. Remember to smile and say thank you.

2. Panini press a slice of Seven Stars whole wheat bread in the panini maker until golden (2-3 minutes).

3. Create a pocket in the bread by slicing horizontally into the bread with a knife. When the omelette is ready, carefully stuff it into the pocket and enjoy!

Provolone-Stuffed Toast with Ham and Broccoli

There's something very comforting about oozy cheese. If you eat it with some lovely green broccoli florets, you'll soothe your conscience too. The ham is not just for decoration - if you are skilled enough to cut a pocket in your toast without completely mutilating it, by all means insert the ham with the cheese before grilling on the panini press. Or you can just put the ham on top and eat it like an open faced sandwich, which is just as delicious and easier! Other possible toppings include sliced tomato, caramelized onions, a fried egg, and anything you personally find delicious (excluding soft serve ice cream).

Provolone-Stuffed Toast with Ham and Broccoli

1 thick slice wheat Seven Stars Bread

2 slices provolone cheese

1 thin slice ham

5 or so steamed broccoli florets

1 pickle wedge

1. Using a knife, carefully cut a pocket in the bread. (If it's too difficult, try toasting the bread first to get it crunchy on the surface, and then cut a slit)

2. Insert the cheese.

3. Lightly spray a panini press with nonstick spray, and press the bread with cheese inside for 1 minute, or until golden grill marks form and the cheese is melted.

5. Serve with broccoli, pickle, and ham. You can top the toast with ham or any other delicious toppings you can think of.

Portabello Melt on 7-Stars Wheat Bread

In a rush? This sandwich is quick and delicious, with the refreshing fragrance of whole wheat bread, umami from the mushrooms, warm nuttiness from the cheese and broccoli, and a kick from the pepper.

Portabello Melt on 7-Stars Wheat Bread

1 slice 7-Stars wheat bread

a dab of dijon mustard (if desired)

five slices of portabello mushroom cap

1 slice white cheddar or swiss cheese

salt and pepper

broccoli florets, steamed in microwave

1. Spread bread with mustard, if desired. Add slices of portabello.

2. Fold cheese in half and place on top of everything. Microwave on a small plate for 45 seconds, or until cheese is melted.

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add broccoli on top.

Open Faced Tuna Melt on 7 Stars

I love sandwiches. They often seem like a warm-weather kind of food (think picnic on the Main Green when its 70 degrees out), but they can be just as yummy in the snowy cold - especially when they feature warm, melted cheese.

Open Faced Tuna Melt on 7 Stars

1 slice whole grain 7 Stars bread

Mediterranean tuna salad

1 slice of Swiss cheese

1 tsp olive oil or 1 tsp mustard

Spread the bread slice with olive oil or mustard, top with tuna salad and cheese, folded in half. Microwave on high for 1 min, or until cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Egg Salad and Cucumber Tea Sandwich

There's something about little crustless triangular sandwiches that just make you want to make a cup of tea and stick out your pinky while you sip it.

Egg Salad and Cucumber Tea Sandwich

2 slices whole wheat bread

egg salad

cucumers

cream cheese (optional)

1. Cut crusts off of bread.

2. Spread egg salad and cream cheese on bread and top with cucumbers.

3. Make a sandwich and cut into four triangles. Be fancy.

"Oyako" Chicken & Egg Sandwich

"Oyako" means parent and child in Japanese - if you've seen "oyako donburi" in Japanese restaurants, you'll know what I'm talking about (a rice dish topped with chicken and egg - bonus points if you can figure out which is the "parent" and which is the "child")

"Oya-ko" Chicken & Egg Sandwich

1 slice of whole grain 7 Stars bread

1 leg piece of spicy herb-baked chicken

mixed salad greens

1 egg over light

cranberries for garnish

Take the meat off of the chicken leg and arrange on bread. Top with salad greens, fried egg, and cranberries. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Bacon Sandwich

The Ratty does a pretty special chicken salad with grapes called "Rhode Island Chicken Salad." To honor the spirit of local eating, we sandwiched it between Seven Stars wheat bread and added lettuce and bacon. The sweetness of the grapes, creaminess of the mayonnaise-rich chicken salad, fresh crispness of the lettuce, salty bacon-y-ness of the bacon, and earthy soft wheaty bread really bring this sandwich together.

Chicken Salad Bacon Sandwich

2 slices Seven Stars Bakery wheat bread

Rhode Island Chicken Salad

lettuce

bacon

1. Spread chicken salad on bread.

2. Top with lettuce and bacon.

3. Cut in half and enjoy!

Savory Waffle Sandwiches

While these were good, during the time it takes to split the waffle open and make the sandwich, the waffle crust goes from satisfyingly crispy to disappointingly soggy. Still, the flavors were pretty good, and it's worth a try if you are a waffle fan. The good news is we have a secret genius idea for maintaining the crispy crust of a waffle sandwich...stay tuned!

Savory Waffle Sandwiches

1/2 spoonful of waffle batter

1 lettuce

1/4 cup tuna salad

1 slice swiss cheese

1/4 cup garbanzo bean salad (pre-made at the V-dub...plain garbanzo beans with some dressing and roasted red peppers work too)

1. Pour waffle batter into half of the waffle iron.

2. Make waffle.

3. Cut in half, and split each half into two without burning off fingers.

4. Fill with fillings.

Veggie, Mushroom, Feta Pita Pocket

Veggie, Mushroom, Feta Pita Pocket

1/2 whole wheat pita

red onion slices

lettuce leaves

portabello mushrooms

feta cheese

red bell peppers

beans

hummus

1. Fill pocket with ingredients.

"The Cook" Cuban Sandwich

"The Cook" opens on Thursday April 8 and continues next weekend. Tickets can be bought here: brown.edu/tickets.

A "proper" Cuban sandwich, according to this website, must adhere to the following strict code:

1. Mayo, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, or lettuce are forbidden

2. Bread should be fresh and crusty

3. Use good roast pork - it's the heart of the sandwich

4. Never use a panini grill - real Cuban sandwiches never have grill lines (oops)

5. Cut into triangle wedges when done

This Ratty version makes use of the crusty ends of Seven Stars bread and Ratty ham (it was from the Bistro line...I think they called it honey baked - I'd say a decent approximation). The result was pretty good, but my taste buds found it a tad salty (since veggies are forbidden, all the elements are salty, except for the bread).

Anyhow, it's fun to try and eat one to get in the mood to see the new TAPS play, "The Cook"!

"The Cook" Cuban Sandwich

2 slices crusty Seven Stars bread

1 tsp mustard

4 slices honey baked ham

3 pickle slices

2 slices swiss cheese

1 pickle wedge for serving

2 tsp butter

1. Spread bread slices with mustard and sandwich between them the ham, pickle slices, and cheese.

2. Butter the outer crusts of both slices of bread.

3. Press on the panini for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.

4. Cut into triangle wedges and serve with pickle.

Egg Burger, inspired by Guillaume Riesen

Guillaume sent us a mouth-watering Bacon and Egg Double Cheeseburger a few weeks back, and I have attempted to recreate it at the Ratty twice since then (the first time the pictures didn't turn out as well...although I'd take any excuse to make this scrumptious recipe many more times).

A note, however. In Guilliaume's original recipe, he says "tomato slices and salad [are] optional but somewhat frowned upon" and after trying it with the veggies (and without the bacon) I have to agree--this is another one of those lip-smacking "protein only" sandwiches (if you insist on getting your greens, have it on the side with a splash of balsamic).

So, this version of the burger (plus the veggies) is remotely inspired by Guillaume's recipe, although I have a strong feeling one of us is going to recreate the original Bacon and Egg Double Cheeseburger sometime in the near future (this time, all meat and protein). So keep an eye out for a future post of Guillaume's original Bacon and Egg Double Cheeseburger.

Egg Burger, inspired by Guillaume Riesen

1 bun

some mustard

2 tomato slices

2-3 onion rings

1 beef patty

1 lettuce leaf

1 fried egg, over easy

1 slice provolone

1. Order 1 egg over easy from omelette bar.

2. Spread mustard on one bun.

3. Stack patty, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, egg, and onions on bottom half of bun. Top with the other half of the bun.

4. Take a big bite. When you get to the egg yolk, have napkins handy.