This recipe is a real test of my commitment to the box, because I don’t actually like wild rice. I know it’s because we ate so much rice when I was a kid, it’s not rice’s fault, but I can’t help it. And this recipe really reminds me of how healthy all the food was at my grandparents’ house. Everything was whole wheat, and bran, and low sodium. There was so little sugar in the house that I would hoard mandarin oranges because they were the closest I could get to dessert. As an adult I’m very impressed with my grandparents’ commitment to healthy living, and it means that I get an olfactory flashback whenever I’m buying bulk grains at Sprouts. So I will be a grown up and make wild rice for the first time. 

The only change I made in the first iteration was that instead of splitting the rind half and half I put the entire rind in at the beginning. Since it was actually julienned instead of zested I wanted it all to cook a bit in case I had any pith attached.

Overall I actually really liked it. The pecans added a great texture, and I’m a sucker for lemon. It does take a long time but it’s a great side dish to get started and then let simmer while you get the rest of the meal together. It also definitely does not serve four, maximum it serves 3, or serves 2 with a bit leftover. So in conclusion I wouldn’t make any changes to this recipe except upping the scallions and lemon and adding the rind earlier, so here it is fully typed out. I enjoyed it as a side dish to a lemony salmon.

Ingredients

2 cups low sodium or homemade chicken stock

1 lemon

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained well

½ cup pecans, toasted lightly and chopped

3 scallions, minced

½ cup fresh parsley, minced

• Peel lemon with vegetable peeler, avoiding pith as much as possible. Cut each piece of rind so it’s the length of half the lemon, then julienne.

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• In a heavy saucepan combine the stock, butter, julienned lemon rind, juice from the same lemon, and butter. Bring to a boil.
• Add wild rice and stir. Lower heat to low, cover and cook for 50 minutes to an hour until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. It will have more texture than white rice usually does.
• Remove from heat and stir in pecans, scallions, and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste.