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! 

Jonathan's Deviled Eggs

Hard boiled eggs. Boring, right? Wrong! As a matter of fact, the Ratty comes fully armed with an arsenal of ingredients to transform these humble protein morsels into decadent deviled eggs. We want to thank Jonathan Sit for his ingenious recipe and gorgeous photos. Enjoy!

Jonathan's Deviled Eggs

12 hard boiled eggs (served only at breakfast and lunch)

mayo

relish

yellow mustard
bacon (for the adventurous) 

Get a dozen hard boiled eggs. Peel and cut in half with a knife. They are easier to peel when warm so do it quickly! Put all the yolks in a cup. Now, using a soup spoon (the larger one not the dinky tea spoon), mix in 4 parts mayo, 1 part relish, and 1 part mustard. Mix! Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Carefully spoon back the mixture into the now empty egg-white halves. Now you can garnish it with more pepper or paprika (if they have it) or if you're feeling adventurous, bacon bits from the salad line! (I made this as a dish for a potluck so it makes a lot of servings!)

Cajun Chicken Broccoli Pasta

Mmmm the creamy goodness of Cajun Chicken Pasta. We love how the fusilli catches all the luscious spicy sauce in its gorgeous corkscrew curls. We thought, what else has little nooks and crannies for sopping up sauce? It's green and starts with a b and ends with a roccoli. To extend the sauce a little further, you can spice up your pasta with  fresh chopped tomatoes from the salad bar and a dash of black pepper. 

Cajun Chicken Broccoli Pasta

1 dish of Cajun Chicken Pasta

fresh chopped tomatoes

broccoli

basil infused olive oil

paprika

garlic powder

salt

pepper

Steam the broccoli by placing them in a single layer on a dish and drizzling on some basil infused olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and a sprinkling of salt. Cover with an inverted plate and microwave 100-120 seconds, until broccoli is just cooked through. Top the pasta with tomatoes and microwave 30 seconds to warm everything through. Toss the broccoli over the pasta and sprinkle everything with salt and pepper to taste. 

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.

Sunday Morning Crepes

Are crepes for breakfast or dessert? Why can't breakfast be dessert, you ask? Ah my friend, that's the spirit. Of course, if you load on the berries and some freshly sliced bananas, you can justify any dessert/breakfast. Get your calcium and protein fix from some vanilla soft serve (of course that's why we put it on everything...), and you'll be primed to seize the day. 

Sunday Morning Crepes

3 crepes

crepe fillings of choice: chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cream cheese and jam

strawberry compote

pineapple compote

2 bananas, sliced

vanilla soft serve

Spread a different filling on each crepe. We used chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and cream cheese/jam. Fold each crepe in half twice and plate them slightly overlapping. Garnish the crepes with strawberry and pineapple compote, vanilla soft serve, and banana medallions. Savor with a cup of tea and the Sunday morning paper. 

Michelle's Thai Iced Tea

You can't get Thai iced tea from the soda dispenser at the Ratty. But you can come pretty close. This ingenious recipe, created by Michelle Zheng, is a refreshing stand in for a classic bubble tea shop staple!

Michelle's (Sort of) Thai Iced Tea
Take a classic plastic Ratty cup, and fill it in this order with:
1/5 glass ice
3/5 unsweetened iced tea
1/5 raspberry iced tea
2 pumps vanilla coffee creamer

Mix well and enjoy!

Local Food Forum 2013

Mark your calendars for Wednesday 2/6, the yearly networking event for Rhode Island food producers, buyers, students, community members, and local food enthusiasts in between! More info about the event here.

In the spirit of this year's theme - Center of the Plate: What Makes Meat and Seafood Sustainable? - we would like to highlight some of the ongoing efforts in sustainability happening inside the Ratty.

Seafood - sourced from Clipper Seafood, a locally based company committed to sustainable fishing and conservation of local fish species

Chicken - supplied by Warwick Poultry, a local distributor in RI

The best part about cooking with fresh, local ingredients means you usually don't need to do a whole lot to make it taste good. Simply dress up a Rhode Island Chicken Salad with some fresh lettuce and tomato, or garnish a filet of local tilapia or sustainable salmon with seasonal veggies, and you'll have yourself a healthy, hearty, and delicious local meal in no time.

Yanqiang's Spinach Bolognese Rice

We are strong believers in the idea that presentation can make or break your eating experience. Some restaurants serve below-Ratty-quality food, in both nutritional value and taste, and trick you into eating it because they precariously balance the over-salted saw-dust-esque chicken breast on greasy tasteless grits and oil-laden potatoes and garnish it with a prim sprig of parsley - meanwhile robbing your wallet of 30 precious Washingtons.

This delicious dish created by Yanqiang Tan balances the rich savory flavors of bolognese with delicately cooked fresh spinach and fragrant jasmine rice. All it costs is the swipe of an ID. (...well, sorta) Bon appetit!

Yanqiang's Spinach Bolognese Rice

1 large plate of raw baby spinach

1 pinch salt

1 dash pepper

1 drizzle olive oil

1 cup jasmine rice
1/2 cup bolognese sauce
1 sprinkle fresh chives

Make the spinach: Place spinach on a plate, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and cover with another plate. Microwave 1 minute or until just cooked through. Drizzle with olive oil. 

Put it all together: Neatly plate the rice, spinach, and bolognese sauce on a clean plate. Garnish bolognese sauce with fresh chopped chives. To enjoy, mix everything together. 

Sam's Chicken Finger Friday Chicken and Waffles

Happy Chicken Finger Friday, everyone! We received this recipe from Sam Heft-Luthy. Yes, it's V-dub not Ratty Gourmet, and you should give it a try! In Sam's own words, it's a "simple yet elegant twist on a Southern staple." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Sam's Chicken Finger Friday Chicken and Waffles

4-5 V-Dub chicken fingers

1 V-Dub waffle
1-2 Tbsp Tobasco sauce
liberal drizzle of pancake syrup

This is pretty self-explanatory, but put the chicken strips on the waffle, then drizzle the tobasco and syrup over them. Add a cup of coffee and a copy of the New York Times for a Sunday brunch experience on a Friday afternoon.

Kiwi's Breakfast Pumpkin Pie

With the leaves changing color and autumn in the air, we are delighted to welcome the new season with this breakfast pumpkin pie created by Kiwi Lee. Special thanks to Kiwi for her lovely photos - the blurry Times in the background is undoubtedly a subtle yet deliberate prod to vote in the upcoming election. While you mull over who to pick to lead our country, the vitamin A in your pumpkin and cranberries will sharpen your vision for choosing the better candidate...

Kiwi's Breakfast Pumpkin Pie 

2/3 coffee cup pumpkin (from the morning steel-cut oatmeal bar)
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, craisins, and/or granola - your pick!
1/3 coffee cup soymilk, milk, or French Vanilla creamer
brown sugar, sugar or splenda (optional, to taste)
1 pinch salt

In a coffee cup, preferably the new tall kind from the Ratty:
Fill up about 2/3 with the pumpkin available in the morning steel-cut oatmeal bar. Sprinkle a dash or two of cinnamon and nutmeg (Tip from Kiwi: I like a 2:1 ratio. Also, be careful not to add too much--cinnamon/nutmeg can get bitter and overwhelming.).

Add a spoonful of pumpkin seeds, craisins, and/or granola for a bit of texture and crunch. Fill cup the rest of the way with either Original or Vanilla soymilk. (Vanilla's much sweeter than the Original but it adds flavor, too! You could always use regular milk as well.) This makes the mash smoother and creamier, but make sure to leave a little room so you can mix at the end. Sweeten to taste with brown sugar (preferred), sugar, Splenda, etc. (I usually add two packets of Splenda with original soymilk and that turns out just right for me.)

PRO TIP: Add a dash of salt, but not too much! It really enhances all of the other flavors. Mix together. Enjoy chilled or pop it in the microwave to have it warm. For added crunch, garnish with a mix of brown sugar and granola.