THE RECIPES
Good CUISINE
at SUNplicity
Alain Bivas
FISH AT SUNPLICITY
Salmon with thyme
The important thing for salmon is that it is not overcooked.
Fresh flowering rosemary comes from the garden.
It is possible to add a drizzle of olive oil at the start of cooking, but generally the salmon will make its juices without having to add anything.
Cooking time: no more than 15 minutes, just allow the exterior to blanch, the heart of your salmon must remain soft.
The advantage of this cooking with SUNplicity remains the flexibility and tolerance in the event of forgetting, and the virtual absence of supervision required… no need to turn the fragile slice of salmon…
in a word: let it be!
VEGETABLES WITH SUNPLICITY
Vegetable pancakes
Straight from the freezer
Cooked with a glass lid (preferably use SUNplicity containers ), barely browned, the pancakes hold together and the aromas are reinforced… without doing anything.
For presentation: three sprigs of fresh parsley or coriander.
SUNPLICITY CAKE
Chocolate cake
Chocolate Cake requires a black lid because the glass ends up leaving a (superficial) burnt mark.
If you don’t have a black lid, you will have to watch and turn it over (front to back and then top to bottom).
I’m trying to gradually reduce the amount of sugar in the soft (or fondant) recipe…
overcooked fondant will result in softness and conversely, undercooked fondant will result in fondant.
If I have nuts or seeds I roast them in the dry pan to incorporate them into the dough, be careful the seeds can burn quite quickly, roasting requires supervision.
Secondly, I melt the butter and the chocolate bars in the deep purple container; while it melts, whip the whites until stiff, the yolks go into the chocolate at the end of cooking, then off the heat, delicately incorporate the whites by lifting the spoon.
Cooking time :about 25 minutes, remember the lid!
SMALL DISHES AT SUNPLICITY
Loaf of bread
Who hasn’t dreamed of kneading and baking their own bread, even if the result varies from one day to the next it’s always a great success, rarely does a loaf last until the next day.
When kneading, be careful not to wet your dough too much because stewing reduces evaporation.
As with cakes, you absolutely need a black lid, avoiding curved glass (or monitoring the end of cooking).
SMALL DISHES AT SUNPLICITY
Saucisses au romarin
What a pleasure to escape the smoke from the barbecue, and forget to keep an eye on things!
The sausages may take a little longer to cook, but they’ll still be very moist, with the added taste of SUNplicity… avoid very salty sausages, as cooking concentrates the flavours.
Preheat the cast-iron skillet or griddle, under a glass lid, for a good ¼ of an hour. This will allow you to get a good start on cooking…don’t overload your pan.
If your sausages produce too much juice, you can use it separately to cook the rice. You’ll need to watch and turn at the end of cooking to distribute the gilding according to the light zones. You can decide to tilt the dish according to what you see and not according to the viewfinder.
SMALL DISHES AT SUNPLICITY
Zucchinis with onions
Add a small amount of oil to the bottom of the pan, starting with the onions; when they start to brown, add the zucchinis, still with the glass lid.
Cooking is fairly rapid if the lid is closed properly (sometimes too much is put on, which lifts the lid and lets the heat escape), and it’s possible to forget about this kind of dish for a long time without serious consequences; on the contrary, the overcooked dish caramelizes as it simmers without burning, and long after it has exceeded its normal cooking time it will remain a delight.
SHELLFISH AT SUNPLICITY
Prawns, zucchini and sweet potatoes.
The prawns are cooked in the deep frying pan , dry (it is possible to add garlic or just salt, always dry).
Comme le poisson les gambas sont meilleures à peine cuites (après quoi elles dessèchent). Par contre les patates douces, également au poêlon creux, adorent qu’on les oublie ; elle vont se caraméliser et …je vous laisse deviner le résultat sublime…c’était le début du printemps quelques pousses de tamier sauvage, (les respounchous du Tarn,) s’accordent avec la mâche pour compléter ce plat «santé» simple et savoureux.
MEAT AT SUNPLICITY
Duck breast and potatoes
For the potatoes, no water, no foils. Just washed dried, cooked with the skin, in the deep container, with nothing.
They will be presented opened in half with melted butter, cream or olive oil, with fresh chives or here coriander leaves.
The potatoes like to be very cooked, let the skin of those just below the glass lid brown and slightly burn, it’s even better. We eat them with a spoon.
Duck breast is a must in the southwest, whether you like it rare or very cooked, it is always a success. A little thyme seems essential to me.
Whether you choose the hollow pan or the cast iron plate, it is best to preheat for ¼ hour with the glass lid. The artists cut the fat with a knife, creating diamonds measuring 2cm on each side. We start by grabbing the fat side at the bottom against the hot sheet pan; the fat crackles pleasantly and melts quickly enough to give a very tasty juice. Without waiting too long, you can turn the duck breast over, this time with the fat side up.
Leave to cook for 20 minutes; the fat will brown. During cooking you can tilt the dish according to the light visible on the duck breast, to obtain professional browning. In the photo this is not the case.
To serve, I recommend pre-cutting the slices of the duck breast and laying them down so that you can baste them with the cooking juices. Occasionally you can cook vegetables in this duck juice, reduced to perfection thanks to the controlled cooking of the SUNplicity which avoids burnt or overcooked fat.
VEGETABLES WITH SUNPLICITY
Fresh mushrooms and grilled peppers
Grilled peppers, with olive oil and garlic. As my dad burned his fingers on the wood fire in the fireplace, I leave my (red) peppers whole, without emptying them.
In the deep frying pan, I cook them dry, until the skin burns like a fire…then they have to be emptied and peeled, completely free of the seeds.
A simple drizzle of oil with fresh pressed garlic is enough, you can also keep them marinated in oil, in the refrigerator.
The fresh mushrooms are sautéed under a lid in a little oil with garlic and parsley at the end of cooking.
POULTRY AT SUNPLICITY
Chicken casserole
I have a conical cast iron casserole dish, the bottom of which fits perfectly into the circle, I cook quite large chickens (1.7kg) in it, I also use the large hollow frying pan Ø26cm , in the frying pan I cut the wire and I open the chicken legs Mexican style, it is important that the lid closes well, to keep the heat.
A smaller chicken (1.2kg) will fit in the deep purple container or mussel pot. Here in the photo it is a Colombian chamba, it is an earthenware casserole (non-jointed lid which slowed down the cooking). No water, no oil, no salt, just thyme, (or your favorite herbs) sometimes 1 cut fruit; the chicken will make its juices, brown on top, while remaining soft.
This is the time to use the viewfinder to anticipate the sun, with a little experience you will be able to only aim the SUNplicity once which will cook for almost 3 hours in autonomy, after 3 hours the chicken will remain hot 1 more hour, ready to serve.
VEGETABLES WITH SUNPLICITY
Ratatouille
A tip from my salonician mother: it is best to peel and cook the eggplants immediately to prevent them from blackening in the oxygen in the air.
Preheat the oil for a few minutes, prevent your ingredients from lifting the lid, allow a time longer than usual by about ½ to reduce and concentrate the aromas, like mom.
SUNPLICITY RICE
Rice
To cook rice with the solar oven, start by sautéing the onions in a little oil (or duck fat) preheated for 10 minutes.
When the onions start to brown, throw in the dry rice and let it soak in the oil for a few minutes. Without waiting for it to brown, add the water (¼ less water than in the traditional recipe, because no evaporation with SUNplicity).
Let the rice absorb all the water until the last drop.
As spice here I used Indian curry.
VEGETABLES WITH SUNPLICITY
Carrots, onions and aromatic herbs
I learned to add a little oil, although it is not necessary because with SUNplicity nothing sticks to the bottom of the dishes, ever. No, the oil here helps raise the temperature and it transports heat.
The ideal container for frying, which can be used like a wok: it’s the hollow frying pan!
Its rounded edges allow you to adjust the horizontal of the container.
PIPERADE AT SUNPLICITY
The Alain Bivas-style piperade
A piperade without tomatoes! Onions and peppers, sautéed in a little oil, cooked with lid, without overcooking.
MEAT AT SUNPLICITY
Duck and sweet potato confit
Imagine 3 hours of continuous cooking, without moving your solar oven, virtually unsupervised and without any risk if you forget it.
The traditional confit is started the evening before by covering the thighs with coarse salt, to keep cool. In the morning, carefully remove all the salt, rinse off any remaining salt.
In a deep pot, add enough duck fat to cover 3⁄4 of the legs.
The confit requires 3 hours of gentle cooking, perfect for SUNplicity. You can thus keep your confit in a jar.
In the photo the thigh has just been reheated with SUNplicity which gives it a slight crispy surface which contrasts with the softness of the confit.
Cooking fat will allow you to cook and flavor: potatoes, vegetables, rice, etc. always with ease.
RÔTIS À SUNPLICITY
Make your roasts a success
Whether it is veal or pork, a good roast must simmer for a long time to cook thoroughly but without drying out, while remaining very soft; here again the viewfinder will be useful for us to anticipate the movement of the sun, allow 3/4 hours per book, you can leave and only return 3 hours later without problem. No need to add water, oil or salt, just a few herbs are enough. The meat will create its own juices while browning on top.
To serve: sprinkle the slices with the juice.
