Citrus Rice

Oranges and lemons were staring at me from my crisper. I planned to make some blueberry marmalade but I got lazy. I decided to make citrus rice. Was there such a thing? I didn't know but as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I cooked one cup of long grain white rice.

While the rice was cooking, using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, I sliced 1/2 onion, 2 stalks celery, 2 mini orange peppers crosswise, 2 mini red peppers crosswise, and two garlic cloves. I started by sautéing the onion then added the celery, then the sliced pepper rounds and last the garlic. I set this mixture aside, I peeled just the outer skin of one naval orange and one meyer lemon, leaving enough integrity to the citrus shape to juice them afterwards. 

I sliced the skins of the orange and lemon as thin as I could sautéed them till the skins softened, I sprinkled about an 1/8 cup of sugar over the top. When the skins were softened, I added the first mixture back to the pot and added salt and pepper and some pure ground gumbo file (ground sassafras leaves). 

When the rice was cooked through I added it to the citrus mixture and then added in the juice of the orange and lemon. Stir and adjust the seasoning and serve as a main course. I served the citrus rice in a bowl but it deserves an honorable place nestled in a lettuce cup or a cabbage or radicchio leaf. The rice is dotted with vibrant colors of the lemon, orange, peppers and celery and turns a beautiful pale orange from the juice and gumbo file.

I usually think of heavy soups and stews for winter meals, but this rice is a welcome addition to winter recipes. The rice is so delicious and I still have one more orange and lemon in the crisper. Guess what I'm making again. (Images borrowed from the net), I really need to get that camera since my rice was so appealing with it's pale orange color and bright ingredients.

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