Solar cooked risotto, like the traditional version, must be served immediately so timing is important. This recipe can also be prepared stovetop if you want to serve it on a cloudy day or after the sun has gone down. Just stir the hot broth into the rice 1/2 a cup at a time, letting each addition absorb before adding the next, for 2o minutes.

Risotto with Lamb and Saffron

Ingredients

The reserved broth from Basic Sun Oven Braised Lamb Shanks

1 t0 2 tablespoons fat skimmed off the broth

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Add enough water to the reserved broth to measure 3 cups and heat it in a sauce pan until very hot.

Melt the fat in a graniteware pot over medium heat. Use butter if you trimmed the shanks too thoroughly.

Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the wine, stirring until it evaporates.

Stir in the hot broth, cover, and transfer to the Sun Oven.

Cook for 20 minutes or until the broth is almost completely absorbed. Remove the pot from the Sun Oven. Stir in the saffron and the cheese. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

The trick to good Bolognese is gentle heat. Try to keep the Sun Oven between 250 and 300 and let this sauce slowly simmer all day.

Sun Oven Braised Lamb Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups meat from Basic Sun Oven Braised Lamb, shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 carton (26-ounce) Pomì chopped tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring often, until just softened, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the shredded lamb. Turn up the heat and add the wine. Cook until the wine has mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the Dutch oven with a dark tea towel then set the lid slightly ajar.

Transfer to the Sun Oven and continue cooking for at least 3 hours.

The meat and broth from this recipe can be used in pasta sauces and risotto – recipes to follow.

Basic Sun Oven Braised Lamb Shank

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 leek, thinly sliced

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 sprig rosemary

salt to taste

3 lamb shanks (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.

Add the onion and leeks and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Add the broth, tomato paste, rosemary and salt.

Arrange the lamb shanks so the meatiest parts are submerged.

Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the meat is fall off the bone tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove shanks from the broth.

When the shanks are cool enough to handle slice the meat off the bones. If not using immediately refrigerate the broth and meat in separate containers for up to two days.

Makes 4 servings.

The savory vegetarian filling in this pie can be served on its own as a side dish. Just add the peas about five minutes before taking the pot out of the Sun Oven. Traditional pie crust can also be used in place of the filo dough.

Sun Oven Samosa Pie

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

2 russet potatoes (about 1-pound), peeled and diced

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Additional melted butter or Olive oil

6 sheets filo dough, thawed

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Melt the butter in a medium pot. Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, garam masala, and turmeric.

Toss to coat the vegetables with the seasoning. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and season with salt.

Cover and cook in the Sun Oven until the potatoes are soft and have absorbed most of the water, about 1 hour. Remove the pot from the Sun Oven and stir in the peas and the lemon juice. Adjust for salt and let cool.

Coat baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with one sheet of the filo dough, letting the excess hang over the sides. Brush with the melted butter or oil. Repeat with three more sheets of dough.

Spread the potato filling evenly in the pan. Cut the remaining two sheets of filo dough in half. Top the potato mixture with one of the halves and brush with butter or oil. Repeat with the remaining three sheets. Fold the excess dough over the four sheets.

Bake the pie in the Sun Oven until lightly browned, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Like most beef stews, this one is much better the next day. Store it in the refrigerator overnight then gently reheat it either in the Sun Oven or stove top. Serve it with a good, crusty bread.

Sun Oven Beef Stew with Wine

Ingredients

1 pound beef stew meat

2 tablespoons butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup beef broth

1 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 sprig rosemary

1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Pat meat dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium until it starts to brown. Add the meat and turn up the heat. Brown the meat on all sides, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the meat to a plate. Turn the heat back down to medium and stir in the onions and carrots. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 4 mintues. Stir in the garlic then the flour.

Return the beef to the pot with the potatoes. Pour the broth, and wine over the stew. Stir in tomatoes and add the rosemary.

Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the beef is very tender, about 2 hours. Discard the rosemary before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Steel cut oats are one of my favorite breakfast foods and if it weren’t for their long cooking time I’d eat them more just about every day.

A Sun Oven isn’t often associated with breakfast, however a large pot of oatmeal can be solar cooked in about an hour, then frozen in single portions for quick, convenient, and healthy morning meals throughout the week.

Just combine the oats and water and place the covered pot in the Sun Oven. Oh, and that other pot is brown rice. I’ll be using that for my lunches.

The record high temperatures we’ve had this week mean it’s time for some Sun Oven Sun Tea.

Brew some up to keep in the fridge and serve it over ice. It’s easy to make. Just fill a container with water, add a few tea bags, cover, and put it in the Sun Oven until it reaches the desired strength.

Toss a WAPI in with the water, if you have one, then you’ll be sure that it’s 100% safe.

After enjoying yesterday’s solar “fried” chicken for lunch there was still enough sunshine to keep the Sun Oven busy. I still had some uncooked thighs that I used for this stew. When it was done I divided it up into single portions to be frozen for later in the week.

Sun Oven Chicken stew with Herbes de Provence

Ingredients

2 plum tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 small onion, cut into chunks

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup black olives

1 teaspoon herbs de Provence

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

6 bones, skinless chicken thighs

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Toss all the ingredient except the chicken thighs in a pot.

Nestle the chicken thighs in with the vegetables.

Cover and cook until the meat is fork tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Spoon the chicken and the cooking juices over couscous or rice to serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Keep an eye on these oven “fried” thighs and take them out of the Sun Oven as soon as they’re done. Otherwise the cheese filling will seep out and make a mess of your pot.

Sun Oven Chicken Thighs with Gorgonzola Cheese

Ingredients

1/3 cup soft Gorgonzola cheese*

6 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat

olive oil

salt

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Place a metal rack in a roasting pan or large pot and coat with cooking spray.

Use a fork to combine the cheese, two tablespoons of the bread crumbs, pepper, and parsley in a small bowl.

Put the chicken thighs, smooth side down on a cutting board and spread the cheese mixture on one half. Fold the other half over and secure the sides with wooden toothpicks.

Spread the remaining breadcrumbs out on a plate and season with salt. Brush each thigh with oil and dredge them through the breadcrumbs.

Place the chicken on the prepared rack in the pan.

Cover and cook in the Sun Oven until nicely browned, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

*Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese. There are two kinds, the soft Gorgonzola dolce and the hard, sharper Gorgonzola piccante. If you can’t find dolce use another, soft blue cheese. Don’t use piccante, it’s too overpowering.

Red lentils cook quickly, don’t need to be presoaked, and are delicious. What’s not to like about that?

Sun Oven Red Lentil Soup with Feta

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 bay leaf

2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed

8 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

In a large pot, combine the oil, onion, garlic, carrots, red pepper and rosemary.

Cover and cook in the Sun Oven until the vegetables begin to soften, about 20 minutes.

Add the bay leaf, lentils, and water. Stir, replace the lid, and continue cooking until the lentils are completely cooked, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from Sun Oven. Discard bay leaf.

Stir in the lemon zest and juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with feta.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.