Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Lemon Rice

My mom and aunt have been making lemon rice for as long as I can remember.  Last year at Easter, I decided to use Arborio rice, a short grain rice used to make risotto,  in my family's recipe.  I loved the creamier, chewy texture it had compared to the long grain rice I grew up eating.  


Lundberg White Arborio Rice is gluten free, non-GMO, and eco-farmed.  I purchase it at Whole Foods.  


My husband, daughters, and I all love this dish.  It's easy to make, and great left over.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients

2 C arborio rice
4 T butter
3 C gluten free chicken broth
2 T fresh lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons
Kosher salt to taste

Directions

Saute the rice with 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium size pot over medium high heat.  Stir for a couple of minutes, until the butter melts.

Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Bring to a boil, stir, then cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the burner and let it stand, still covered, for 10 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork, and add at least 2 to 3 pinches of salt, and 2 tablespoons of butter.

Serves 6 to 8


Recipe Notes

The lemon rice in the first picture is darker, because I used The Fresh Market gluten free chicken stock, instead of chicken broth.  We prefer to make this dish with Pacific chicken broth, which has a milder taste.


I have also made this recipe with Lundberg Jasmine Rice.  Following the cooking directions on the bag, I combined 2 cups of rice with 3 cups of chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot.  I then added the zest of two lemons and two tablespoons of lemon juice before bringing everything to a boil.  I covered my pot with a lid, reduced it to a simmer, and cooked it for 15 minutes.  I then removed it from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes before fluffing the rice with a fork.  Before serving, I added two more tablespoons of butter, and salt to taste.  The lemon rice turned out great, and I would definitely make it with jasmine rice again.

I like to make lemon rice on Easter Sunday to serve with my lamb roast with homemade hummus, and gluten free Easter Bread.  You can view all of my Easter recipes here.



Lemon rice is also great served with steak, and a green vegetable like green beans, peas, or broccoli.

Linked to: Gluten-Free Wednesdays 


3 comments:

  1. This sounds very yummy. But, I want the recipe for the lemon rice (please). :)

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    Replies
    1. I can try and dig it up. I am sure I have it somewhere.

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    2. Sorry for the delayed response. I decreased the amount of lemon zest, and changed the rice from long grain white to short grain Arborio. I have changed the name of the recipe to lemon rice, because even though I use Arborio rice, it is not truly risotto, which is made by gradually stirring small amounts of hot liquid into the rice. This is much less labor intensive, but not as creamy as risotto. That being said, it has a slightly creamy and chewy texture which you do not get with the use of long grain rice. If you make this recipe with long grain rice, I would adjust the amount of liquid to match the directions on the package.

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