Skip to Content

Onion Baked Rice with Boneless Rib Roast

 
DSC 0310 1
Onion Baked Rice

We returned late last night on a very delayed flight from Phoenix.

Though the weather in Phoenix was not as warm as it usually is; it was still much warmer than what we returned to.

Denver was 18 degrees last night at 1AM, but luckily the memories of Phoenix saw me through until we made it safely home.

While in Phoenix we ate. We ate a lot. It seemed like we never stopped eating.

But it was good to see everyone and now I must stop eating – but not – of course – until after the new year.  (It takes awhile to wrap my brain around this!).

My request to my mother was to make  my dad’s favorite roast beef for his birthday. 

The smell alone reminds me of home.

Though I don’t eat meat anymore I am tempted to make this for my husband more often as I truly love how warm and garlicky the house smells when it is baking.

DSC 0318 1

And an easier, more impressive dish, I believe has yet to be invented.

My Grandma Fanny made this.  My mother makes this. And I have made it many times.

It is a perfect dish for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. It will become one of those memorable meals, I promise.

I can remember my mother making this with “blobs” of Crisco because chicken fat was hard to find in our little town. (You could make your own, but you don’t need too.)

Though it may not be politically correct, feel free, if you can’t find chicken fat or don’t want to use butter or margarine, duck fat can also be used.

Chicken fat makes this a very luscious, rich, flavor filled rice but I have seen it made many ways.

I also think you can get by with less fat so feel free to decrease it. Just make sure it doesn’t stick in the pan.

DSC 0275 1DSC 0277 1

I will also tell you that if you have your own way of roasting meat and you are happy with it, feel free to use it.

In our family somehow the meat never really gets to the correct temperature which is why I recommend a meat thermometer.

Somehow it always gets a bit overdone but it is never anyone’s fault.

I think we were all a bit lacking in the math department and can’t figure out how to multiply 5 lbs by 20 minutes at 350 degrees which is what one usually figures on to get a rare roast.

I stay out of this discussion since I have an escape clause as I don’t eat meat.

Also don’t forget to take the roast out of the oven about 10 minutes and 10 degrees before it hits your expected temperature so that it can rest.

Cover it with foil and let it sit until the desired temperature is reached. This way the roast will stay juicy.

I can also tell you that a 5lb roast is way to much for 4 people unless you want lots of sandwiches for the next week.

And I have never heard anyone complain about that!

DSC 0282 1
Getting the roast ready

 So now  in my mother’s words: here is how to make that special meal for those special people in your life.

“December 25th is a special day for us as we celebrate Bernie’s birthday.

Our children, Abbe and Ed, joined us this year as we celebrated 81 good years.

Our son David who lives in Scottsdale  usually joins us for dinner and THE CAKE, as he did this year.

We missed Mark and Diane who  live in Berwyn, Ill.

The BIG dinner started with a few simple, but favorite, Weiner family appetizers.

Then came the piece de  resistance, the  roast beef and oniony baked rice.

This has been a long time family fave since my Mom used to make this at our request.

Here’s why: We lived in a small town in central Illinois where we ate meat, meat and more meat.

Fish was unavailable before frozen was invented.

I remember beef for about 5 meals, chicken 1 time and maybe spaghetti the other day.

We were taken to a restaurant as a special treat once a week  on Sunday.

It was either Winnie’s Italian or the local Chinese no name.

So we cooked. I either started dinner or finished it as my Mom worked and I helped her bake on Sundays.

She was the best teacher but I still don’t do pie crust.

Back to the roast: Our house took on the most fragrant aromas as the roast baked. Then we would hear the sizzle as the fat hit the baking rice.

We would be starved by the time we actually ate.”

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
placeholder

Onion Baked Rice with Boneless Rib Roast

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

Ingredients

Units Scale

Rice:

2 cups long-grained rice
34 T minced dried onions or 1 medium onion diced
5 cups water
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup
8 Tablespoons chicken fat, butter, or margerine
(If not using chicken fat you may also sprinkle dried chicken bouillion over rice or use chicken stock in place of water)

Roast:

5lb boneless rib roast
6 cloves Fresh Garlic
Salt and Pepper to coat roast


Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position two racks in center third of oven.

Crush garlic cloves. Rub over entire roast. Then rub in salt and pepper so it sticks.

Place in oven directly on middle rack. [Rice will be in pan below it]

Bake for 30 minutes. Then turn oven down to 350 and continue baking. Figure 20 minutes per pound for rare or use meat thermometer.

Rice:

Put rice in 13×9 pan. Sprinkle onion soup evenly over rice. Sprinkle minced onions over. Blob fat over rice mixture. Pour water slowly over all.

Put pan of rice under roast. (This will catch  the drippings from the roast). Rice should be crispy on the top and soft in the middle and crispy on the bottom. Check rice for doneness in 1 1/2 hours. If  water has evaporated and rice is not cooked fully, add 1/4 cup more. All the water should evaporate from the finished rice.


Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Abbe

Wednesday 2nd of January 2013

It certainly has stood the test of time! Give it try. It is really good. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

Natalie

Wednesday 2nd of January 2013

Yum! Never tried baked rice but what a fantastic idea!

Abbe

Sunday 30th of December 2012

Always good to go home and you are in two great places. Happy New Year to you and thanks for commenting!

Shut Up and Cook

Sunday 30th of December 2012

Just flew back to Seattle from Boston, so can appreciate your weather shift story! Always good to go home, but nice to return to the new home as well. Happy New Years!

Abbe

Sunday 30th of December 2012

Better pictures coming! Got the recipe and it is there now! Have a great new year! Hear Gaby is doing really well!