SUN COOKING USA
AROUND THE WORLD
Sun, Fennel, and Carrots
The flavors and colors of fennel and carrots blend beautifully in this solar baked gratin. Don’t worry about slicing the fennel perfectly, use the pretty slices for the top layer and the less than perfect ones for the bottom.
Sun Oven Fennel and Carrot Gratin
Ingredients
4 medium fennel bulbs, ends trimmed
1 pound carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, divided
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Preparation
Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Spray a 11 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
Slice the fennel vertically into 1/3-inch-thich slices; place in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; set aside. Slice the carrots on a diagonal into long 1/4-inch-thick slices; place in a bowl and toss with the remaining olive oil and salt.
Spread out 1/2 of the fennel in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the thyme and 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Layer all the carrots over the fennel; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon thyme and 1 tablespoon cheese. Layer the remaining fennel slices over the carrots, top with the remaining thyme and cheese. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and a tea towel. Bake in the Sun Oven until vegetables are tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Makes 8 servings.
Lid or No Lid?
Most Sun Oven cooking is done in a covered pot. This is to keep the moisture in the food from fogging up the glass door which lowers the temperature of the cooking chamber. But I’ve found that some faster cooking foods, such as vegetables, come out better if left uncovered. Even without a lid they tend to be done by the time the glass fogs up and since the steam isn’t trapped in the pot they come out a little crispier.
Today I put it to the test with two batches of asparagus and acorn squash. There wasn’t any noticeable difference between the covered squash and the uncovered, but the uncovered asparagus came out slightly browned and with a pleasant crunch to it and the covered batch did not.
Covered or uncovered, it’s a good idea to set a timer when solar cooking spring vegetables, unlike meats and stews that seem to get better the longer they cook in the Sun Oven, delicate greens can overcook and get soggy.
Sun Oven Black Bean Rice
The next time you make a pot of black beans save some of the cooking liquid for a batch of solar cooked black bean rice. It makes a great side dish to just about any South-of-the-border entree.
Black Bean Rice
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup medium grain rice
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Pasta al Forno Solare
Everyone loves baked pasta and they’ll like solar baked pasta even more.
Sun Oven Baked Pasta
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (26-ounce) carton strained tomatoes (Pomì if you can find it)
salt to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into large pieces
1 pound dried pasta, rigatoni, penne, fusilli, or similar shape
3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Solar Roasted Vegetable Soup
Can’t get flavorsome tomatoes at your local market? Not a problem, even mediocre tomatoes will shine after an hour or so in the Sun Oven. The times given on this recipe are just a suggestion, the longer the veggies roast the better they taste.
Sun Oven Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
1 pound Roma tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded
1 red onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
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
Sun Oven Meets Grill
Now that the days are getting warmer even more cooking can be moved outside. Get these lentils going in the Sun Oven then toss some sausages on the grill for a match made in heaven. The Italian answer to Bangers and Mash.
You’ll need two pots that fit in the cooking chamber together, either side by side or stacked, to cook the sauce and the lentils at the same time.
Sun Oven Lentils and Red Sauce
Ingredients
For the red sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
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 White Bean Chili
Whether you call it chili or soup this rich bean stew makes a great dinner on a cold night. The first step, sauteing the onion and garlic, can be done stove top or in the Sun Oven. Use a cast-iron Dutch oven if starting out on the stove or a light-weight metal pot if you want to make it entirely in the Sun Oven.
Sun Oven White Bean Chili
Ingredients
2 cups dried great northern or cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
