Give your little ones a taste of the season by puréeing fresh ingredients such as butternut squash, parsnips and carrots, before moving on to different flavours and textures by adding in meat and fish.
First Tastes: Apple
Suitable from four months
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 8 minutes
Makes: 4 portions
✹ 2 sweet dessert apples (such as Pink Lady, Royal Gala or Jazz), peeled, cored and chopped
✹ 4-5 tbsp water or pure unsweetened apple juice
Put the apples into a heavy based saucepan, along with the water or apple juice. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 6-8 minutes, until really tender. Alternatively, steam the apples for 7-8 minutes. Purée in a food processor or using a hand
blender. If steaming, you could use some of the water from the bottom of the steamer to thin out the purée.
Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweetcorn
Suitable from six months
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Makes: 3 portions
✹ 300g butternut squash, peeled and chopped
✹ 1 medium carrot (approx 75g) sliced
✹ 40g sweetcorn, frozen or tinned
Put the butternut squash and carrot into a saucepan and cover with 150ml boiling water. Cover and cook for 7 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Blend to a purée in an electric hand blender.
Salmon with Carrot and Orange
Suitable from six months
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Makes: 3 portions
✹ A knob of butter
✹ 200g carrots, peeled and diced
✹ 180g tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
✹ 25g orange peeled, white pith removed, and chopped
✹ 300ml unsalted vegetable stock
✹ 100g boneless skinless salmon fillet
✹ 15g cheddar cheese, grated
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the carrot and tomatoes and coat in the butter. Add the orange and stock and bring everything up to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes until tender. Add the salmon after 10 minutes and cook through. Blend until smooth for small babies, or mash for older babies. Stir in the cheese until melted.
Chicken, Pear, Parsnip and Carrot
Suitable from six months
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
✹ A knob of butter
✹ 1 large leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
✹ 125g carrots, peeled and diced
✹ 100g pears, peeled, cored and diced
✹ 100g parsnips, peeled and diced
✹ 100g boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped
✹ 300ml milk
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the leek and fry for 5 minutes until soft, then add the remaining ingredients. Bring up
to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes until everything is soft and cooked through. Blend until smooth or for
older babies, blend half, finely chop the rest and stir together.
maternity & infant
Originally posted 2016-01-11 17:13:37.