Lemons are one of those ingredients constantly called on to perk up a recipe – from soup to dessert.  Sadly, we’re unable to grow a lemon tree on our property. I was bemoaning this fact after coming across a tempting recipe in my Mousewood cookbook for Lemon Rice, when my friend, Julie, brought a bag of lemons from her tree. Serendipity!

The recipe calls for brown rice. I was a little leery that the lemony taste would be lost using brown rice, and considered switching to white, which would certainly lend itself to a prominent lemon flavor. Of course, brown is a healthier choice, so I decided to follow the recipe. Then, I figured, in for a pound, in for a penny, and went with Brown Rice Medley (a blend of long grain brown rice, black barley, and daikon radish seeds) from Trader Joe’s.

Fabulous! The lemon performed perfectly, and the rice blend offered a nice bite.

LEMON RICE is very easy to make, but do bear in mind the cooking time of the rice – about 35-40 minutes – and plan accordingly.

NOTE: Continuing my duties as Queen of Freeze, since this recipe only calls for egg yolks, I must remind you that the whites freeze well. Be sure to label the container!

LEMON RICE – makes about 2 cups

• 1 cup uncooked brown rice (I used Brown Rice Medley from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 T butter
• 2¼ cups water
• 3/4 tsp salt (I used kosher)
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 T lemon juice (I used Meyers lemons)
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Melt butter in saucepan and sauté rice 3 minutes. Add in water and salt, and bring to a boil. Cover with lid, leaving it slightly askew to allow steam to escape, and lower flame to keep water at a simmer. When water is nearly all absorbed (about 30 minutes or so), turn off flame, fit lid completely on saucepan, and let sit for about 10 minutes to finish cooking. (This helps prevent burning the rice – been there, done that!)

In a small bowl, stir together the yolks, lemon juice, parsley, and cheese. Pour into rice and blend well. Serve immediately.