Cinderella’s Hearth: Who Doesn’t Like Lemon Rice?

Editor’s note: This week’s CH was originally published in 2022 in a small weekly newspaper in Indiana. I like the recipe, so I figured I’d recycle it. (Kate Wolford)

The title of this column has only one answer: No one. Or at least no one I’ve ever met. I’m sure there are rice haters out there, but for those who eat rice, this very easy, bright-tasting side dish that’s versatile and can be easily doubled.

Coming from Charleston, Mom was raised on rice. After all, it used to be grown there, and remains a major staple down South. It’s also a bit less heavy than potatoes, the most popular starchy side in the U.S., and given the brutal heat of Lowcountry summers, it’s no wonder rice is so popular. (On the climate side, South Carolina, like many other Southern states, has become so unpleasantly hot in the summer, I can’t believe people live there. It’s way, way hotter than when we were kids.)

But no matter where you serve it, the brightness of the lemon, the savoriness of the onion and the crunch of the celery blend beautifully with the blandness of the rice. “Lemon Rice” goes well with chicken, pork or beef, and it doesn’t sit like a rock in your stomach after you eat it. It works well with summery food like chicken, beef or pork grilled outside.

If you want to serve another side with it, corn, asparagus, peas and broccoli will all go well with “Lemon Rice.” As for cooking, you can prepare the rice any way you want to, but it should be standard long-grain white rice — not the quick cooking kind. For reasons we can’t explain, it doesn’t turn out very well with the fast rice. But no matter how you make the rice, this is a very easy dish that is definitely nice enough to serve to company.

With those caveats and observations, here’s my mother’s wonderful “Lemon Rice.”

     Lemon Rice

     1 cup dry white rice, cooked according to

     instructions (Carolina gold is ideal, but most

     will do)

     1 cup chopped yellow onion

     1 cup chopped celery with leaves included

     1 lemon zested (do not use juice)

     1/2 stick butter (if you need more, don’t be

     shy)

     Salt & pepper to taste

Cook rice according to instructions, set aside.

Sauté onion and celery together in butter until softened, roughly 5-7 minutes. Do not brown.

Add rice to onion and celery and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Off heat, stir in zest from lemon. Serves four.

Note: Mom often used chicken broth instead of water to cook the rice to add extra flavor.

Enjoy!