Chicken and Beef Rice Pilaf

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Chief Longwind Of The North

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As pilafs originated in Turkey, I believe, I put this in the ethnic category.

One day, many years before I met her, my DW was introduced to a wonderful rice pilaf that my MIL brought home from a church activity. Everyone loved it. No one knew what to call it, and so, the question was put to the kids (DW and siblings). What do we call this dish. Well, you know how kids are. They chose to name it "Ralph".:ohmy::LOL: The name stuck.

Shortly after we were married, DW made this wonderful dish for me. But as you know, I can't leave well enough alone. Happily, my only change was to cook it on the stove-top rather than bake it in the oven.

First, I'll give you the original version, and then, my own home made version. Enjoy.

Ralph:
Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain rice
2 pkg. Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup, with meat
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef, browned
3 cups water.

Place the water, chicken soup mix, celery, and onion into a pot and bring to a boil. While the water is heating, brown the ground beef. Add it to the pot of water and other good stuff. When it boils, turn heat down to its lowest setting, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. Serve with butter and a tall glass of cold milk.

The Chief's version of Ralph
Ingredients:
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup vermicelli
stalk celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. rubbed thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Reduce the stock to 3 cups to concentrate the flavor. Add the rice and vermicelli. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Serve with butter, a green veggie, and cold beverage of choice. I still like the cold milk.:mrgreen:

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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Noooo, vermicelli mixed with rice... :ohmy:

:LOL: I never tried this kind of recipe, but yesterday I changed my eating routines, and I'm going to eat rice each and every lunch, because I want to build a body like a sumo wrestler, you know. So I started with some simple basmati rice boiled, then mixed with EVo, salt, pepper and parmigiano cheese.
But now I want to try this recipe of yours, Chief. I only wonder what I will get in the end? I mean, is it some sort od rice soup or it will be a firm, solid cube of rice and meat? Or maybe somewhere in the middle...

Thanks!
 
Noooo, vermicelli mixed with rice... :ohmy:

:LOL: I never tried this kind of recipe, but yesterday I changed my eating routines, and I'm going to eat rice each and every lunch, because I want to build a body like a sumo wrestler, you know. So I started with some simple basmati rice boiled, then mixed with EVo, salt, pepper and parmigiano cheese.
But now I want to try this recipe of yours, Chief. I only wonder what I will get in the end? I mean, is it some sort od rice soup or it will be a firm, solid cube of rice and meat? Or maybe somewhere in the middle...

Thanks!

This produces a more firm dish, like a rice casserole. The flavors compliment each other so well. As you know, Basil is king. That also works well in this recipe. Sadly, I love Basil more than does my DW. I think I would put basil in apple pie, if you let me.:LOL: The texture is modified by the vermicelli and has a comfortable mouth-feel. I think you will like this.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
This produces a more firm dish, like a rice casserole. The flavors compliment each other so well. As you know, Basil is king. That also works well in this recipe. Sadly, I love Basil more than does my DW. I think I would put basil in apple pie, if you let me.:LOL: The texture is modified by the vermicelli and has a comfortable mouth-feel. I think you will like this.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Thanks Chief!!!

Rice a roni that san francisco treat. :ermm:
...

Thanks Whiskadoodle, never heard anything about this thing, I'm going to Google it! :pig:
 
Luca, San Francisco is famous for many things, like

1. I left my heart in san Francisco. If you want to google something, google Tony Bennett on YouTube.

2. Levi Strauss started the first factory anywhere to make good quality blue jeans.

3. brick oven sourdough bread,

and infamously, Rice a roni. It's a boxed product that is better left on the shelf at the grocey store, in my opinion anyway. When I first read the recipe, my first glance said rice a roni yum. My brain added the word Yum although it's been >20 years since opening a package. Not sure if it was the box or the Chief’s recipe my brain was referring to.

Now the Chief's family recipe is neither of these things. Which makes it somewhat unique and undoubtedly has more depth to it. Which is why he emphasizes it is a Pilaf. Except when I think of rice pilaf dishes, I do not think of it as something that contains meat, more as a side dish than a main course. It can be either.

I better quit now or the Chief will think I’m off my rocker. I did copy this recipe down. I think if you can not use basil to your heart’s content, you could add a little savory It is a very flavorful herb although not overwhelming. I think it has some components of oregano, marjoram and rosemary all in one, without using the stronger flavors associated with either rosemary or basil.
 
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As pilafs originated in Turkey, I believe, I put this in the ethnic category.

One day, many years before I met her, my DW was introduced to a wonderful rice pilaf that my MIL brought home from a church activity. Everyone loved it. No one knew what to call it, and so, the question was put to the kids (DW and siblings). What do we call this dish. Well, you know how kids are. They chose to name it "Ralph".:ohmy::LOL: The name stuck.

Shortly after we were married, DW made this wonderful dish for me. But as you know, I can't leave well enough alone. Happily, my only change was to cook it on the stove-top rather than bake it in the oven.

First, I'll give you the original version, and then, my own home made version. Enjoy.

Ralph:
Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain rice
2 pkg. Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup, with meat
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef, browned
3 cups water.

Place the water, chicken soup mix, celery, and onion into a pot and bring to a boil. While the water is heating, brown the ground beef. Add it to the pot of water and other good stuff. When it boils, turn heat down to its lowest setting, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. Serve with butter and a tall glass of cold milk.

The Chief's version of Ralph
Ingredients:
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup vermicelli
stalk celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. rubbed thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Reduce the stock to 3 cups to concentrate the flavor. Add the rice and vermicelli. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Serve with butter, a green veggie, and cold beverage of choice. I still like the cold milk.:mrgreen:

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

I make mine similar to your second recipe, but I don't use sage and add celery leaf and dried parsely. Sometimes I cheat and use the original recipe and just add thyme and black pepper.

When I told Mom about my alterations she told me if it's not the original recipe we're not allowed to call it Ralph. She was seriously pouting about it so I named my version Irrenicus (villian from an RPG hubby and I were playing). It was the first name that popped into my head. I don't think she liked the name. She asked why I always had to be so weird and why couldn't I just call it a casserol? She was kind of mad at me.

Hubby and I still call it Irrenicus, unless mom is around. Then I call it Ralph and wait for her to correct me, then roll my eyes and say, "OK, it's Irrenicus." The death glare is priceless. ;)

Moral of the story, be careful what you call Ralph around mom. I can get away with it because I don't have to live with her.
 
P.A.G., I made it a few nights back, the second version, but omited the sage and or thyme. I didn't have any Lipton's chicken noodle soup, but had some great chicken stock that I'd already reduced, and so used that. I also didn't have any vermicelli, and replaced it with orzo. Other than that, it was authentic to the 2nd recipe. It turned out really good, and our mother really liked it, in spice of the fact that she complains about orzo every time I use it. I guess it blended in with the rice well enough that she didn't notice what it was. And you're right, I called it rice pilaf instead of Ralph. I think the name has sentimental value for her, and so she wants it like she had it growing up. If it's not made the same way, it's not Ralph.

I also made the same dish using beef stock and called it Norton, one of the supporting characters to Ralph in the "Honeymooners" skit from the Jackie Gleason show from when I was a kid. It just seemed to fit.

I'll bet this recipe would work really well with Scotch Broth and ground pork too. It might even be very good with liver, kind of like a dirty rice dish. It could be called Dirty Ralph.:LOL:

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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