In the U.S. radicchio is mostly eaten raw in salads. In Italy it is usually cooked – either grilled or mixed into dishes like this risotto.

Sun Oven Risotto with Radicchio

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 small heads radicchio, cored and shredded

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry wine, red or white

3 cups broth, chicken or vegetable

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Combine butter and onions in a dark, light-weight pot. Cook onions in the Sun Oven (or stovetop) until softened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the radicchio, put the lid on the pot and cook until wilted, about 20 minutes. While the radicchio is cooking heat broth on the stove in a saucepan to just below boiling. Transfer pot to the stove and over medium-high heat stir in the rice. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, put the lid on the pot and return it to the Sun Oven. Cook 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

The turnips and the arborio rice make this risotto creamy without adding a lot of fat. All risotto should be eaten immediately. For that reason solar cooked risotto is best for lunch. Make sure it’s a perfectly clear day. Even a small cloud means a longer cooking time and the texture of the risotto will suffer.

Ingredients

2 medium turnips, peeled and cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 fresh sage leaves

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

Broth, chicken, beef, or vegetable

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Put the turnips in a medium pot. Add enough water to just barely cover. Put a lid on the pot and cook the turnips in the Sun Oven until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove the pot from the Sun Oven. Leave the Sun Oven out. Drain the turnips, reserving cooking water. Mash turnips with a potato masher. Set aside.

Add enough broth to the cooking water to measure 3 cups. Bring broth mixture to a boil in a small sauce pan, reduce heat, keep the broth very hot.

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the sage leaves and then the rice, stirring constantly until the grains are coated with butter, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, stir constantly until evaporated. Add the hot broth, stir well, cover and transfer to the preheated Sun Oven. Cook until the broth has been absorbed, it will still be slightly soupy. Remove pot from the Sun Oven. Find and discard the sage leaves. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Sun Oven risotto is what I like to call a hybrid, half conventionally cooked and half solar. The broth is brought to a boil on the stove before being stirred into the sauteed rice and transferred to the Sun Oven. I think the texture is far superior when it’s prepared this way. Bringing any dish with a high liquid content to a boil first will cut down on the overall cooking time by up to 30 minutes. Something to keep in mind if you get a late start.

Risotto al Pomodoro (Tomato Risotto)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup strained tomato puree

3 cups broth, vegetable or chicken

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat.

Bring broth to boil in a medium pot. Heat butter in a separate light-weight, dark pot over medium high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the rice, saute for about 1 minute. Add wine, cook until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato puree and then the hot broth, cover and transfer the pot to the Sun Oven. Cook for 25 minutes. Take a quick peek to see if the broth has been absorbed, if not continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove from Sun Oven, stir in the cheese and basil. Serve immediately. Pass the additional cheese for each person to add to taste.

Probably the biggest misconception I had about solar cooking in my pre-Sun Oven days was that all meals would have to be carefully planned in advance. It’s true that when you have a Sun Oven you’ll need to start thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner much earlier in the day (unless you’re like me and never really stop thinking about what’s for dinner) but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvisation. Our lunch today is a prefect example. Our schedule has been hectic the past few days and my fridge was practically empty. The freezer wasn’t much better. But I did find some frozen braised red cabbage, I had broth, rice, and Parmesan cheese. That spells risotto.

Risotto is actually a very easy thing to make, and Sun Oven risotto is even easier. The base recipe is the same: sauté onion in butter until soft, add rice and sauté for about a minute, add wine stir until evaporated, stir in cooked vegetables or other add-in, add very hot broth; stir well, cover and place in Sun Oven for 20 minutes. If it’s still too watery after 20 minutes continue cooking in Sun Oven for another 10 minutes. Remove pot from Sun Oven, stir in Parmesan cheese and any fresh herbs, serve. For one cup of dry rice you’ll need 1/4 to 1/2 cup wine and 3 cups broth and you’ll get 4 servings.

Today’s add-in was about 2 cups of braised cabbage, the risotto was good but probably would have been better with about 1/2 of cooked beans in addition to the cabbage. Other good add-ins are cooked squash, leftover minestrone, or asparagus.