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Solar Cook Today, Eat Today… and Tomorrow
With a little planning you can enjoy solar cooked meals even on cloudy days. Set aside some of the beans from this soup for lunch on a rainy day.
Sun Oven Vegetarian Back Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 pound dried black beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
Sunday Solar Roast Turkey
Sun Oven Roast Turkey Thighs with Sage and Garlic
Ingredients
2 turkey thighs
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of white wine vinegar
6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3 to 4 pieces
Preparation
Combine the garlic, sage, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Cut deep slits into the turkey thighs. Rub the garlic mixture into the cuts and onto the surface. Place the thighs in a glass dish and refrigerate overnight. Take the thighs out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking and set the Sun Oven out to preheat. Scatter the potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan. Set the thighs on the vegetables and sprinkle with vinegar; cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the meat is fork tender, 2 t0 3 hours. Remove from Sun Oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings
Solar Soup with Beans, Cauliflower, and Fennel
This soup can be prepared early in the day in the Sun Oven and gently reheated stovetop at dinner time. Served with some good, crusty bread it’s a meal on its own.
Sun Oven Cauliflower and Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 cauliflower, cut into small flowerets
2 (14-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed, divided
1 quart vegetable broth
Sun Oven Italian Beans
Beans that have been seasoned while they cook make a great side dish on their own or they can be stored in the refrigerator for use in soups, stews, risottos, or pasta dishes.
Italian Style Beans
Ingredients
1 pound dried cranberry or cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
Solar Chicken Stew Italian Style
This classic Italian stew goes great with good, crusty bread or a nice pot of Sun Oven Polenta.
Sun Oven Pollo alla Cacciatora
Ingredients
1 (4 to 4 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into eight pieces
6 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, 1 crushed, 2 sliced
2 cups dry red wine
flour, for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 anchovy fillets
1/2 cup black olives
2 (14-ounce) cans plum tomatoes, with their juices, roughly chopped
Preparation
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and put them in a bowl. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, and the crushed clove of garlic. Pour the wine over the chicken, cover and marinate at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
Set the Sun Oven out to preheat. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and pat dry. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Brown the chicken and transfer to a plate. Add the sliced garlic to the Dutch oven and cook for about 1 minute. Add the anchovies and then the reserved marinade. Use a wooden spoon to scape up any browned bits and continue cooking until the wine is reduced by about one half. Add the olives and tomatoes. Return the chicken pieces to the Dutch oven, cover, and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the chicken is fork tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Skim off excess fat from the top of the sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaves and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes 4 servings.
Solar Squash Lasagne
Get a head start on this by prepping the squash the night before. The filling and sauce can also be prepared a day in advance. Don’t let all the steps scare you, it sounds like a lot more work than it actually is.
Sun Oven Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne
(Adapted for the Sun Oven from Gourmet magazine)
Ingredients
For Squash Filling
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large onion, chopped
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
Solar Glazed Ham
This is my first ever ham. Somehow I’d always passed on the sales that every grocery store has on them this time of year, but when I learned that they needed to cook at a relatively low heat for many hours I knew there’d be one in my Sun Oven this year. Today the weather was so perfect for solar cooking that I couldn’t wait until Sunday for that to happen. Maybe will have a picnic on Easter – with ham sandwiches in tow.
Sun Oven Holiday Ham
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 (10 to 12-pounds) ham
Solar Irish Soup
Oatmeal isn’t just for breakfast. Steel-cut oats give this simple soup its unique flavor and texture.
Sun Oven Irish Soup with Oats
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Solar Beef Stew
The stacking pots that come with the Sun Oven accessory package are ideal for preparing this stew. If you don’t have them, or any other stackable pots, the carrots can be cooked in the same pot as the meat. Add them towards the end of the cooking time so they don’t get too mushy. I like to cook them separately so they retain their color.
Double-Decker Sun Oven Beef Stew
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed of fat and patted dry
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Reusable Lid for Rectangular Pans
It seems every time I get a new accessory for my Sun Oven I have to wait a few days before I get a chance to use it.
I ordered a rectangular silicone lid last week. It was delivered on Saturday and the sky was overcast all day. The rest of the weekend was too hectic for any kind of cooking so today was my first chance to give it a try.
I didn’t have much in the fridge, just a few onions and potatoes, and only enough of those to make a small pan of Sicilian Potato Gratin. So far I’m very pleased with my new toy. The lid is transparent enough to see the food (although not very clearly) while it cooks and easy to lift up for a quick look, the potatoes came out nicely browned on top, and it’s easy to clean. I
think it will get much use in my Sun Oven.
For a better view of the lid click here.
