08 Oct Mixed Blend Purees

Once you’re ready to move on to mixed puree blends for your baby, there are some great fruit, meat and vegetable combinations to choose from.

Chicken, Apple And Pumpkin Puree

This sweet and fruity chicken dish is a perfect way for your baby to try his or her first taste of meat. It’s been a winning dish for many babies and the premise of fruit plus meat is a great trick for you to take forward in your repertoire. You’ll be doubling this recipe in no time at all — use a full apple to one chicken breast, just to make it easier.

Age: Second month of eating, plus
Suitable for freezing
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients
2 teaspoons butter
½ onion (50 g), f inely diced
2 chicken tenderloins, cut into 2 cm pieces
½ apple*, peeled, cored and diced
100 g (1 cup) diced butternut pumpkin
100 ml salt-reduced chicken stock
100 ml unsweetened apple juice
*Granny Smiths are the sourest of apples and although we generally use them in other cooking, you might want to opt for something a little sweeter in this dish.

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add all the other ingredients except the chicken and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for a further 5–10 minutes until the pumpkin pieces are soft. Puree to the desired consistency. Divide into portions and freeze.

Root Vegies

Age: First month of eating
Suitable for freezing
Makes: About 1 cup

Ingredients
200 g root vegetables, peeled and roughly chopped (try parsnip, swede and turnip)

Method

Place the vegetable pieces in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and cover with water. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until soft. Strain, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.

Alternatively, place the vegetables in the top of a double steamer and steam for 20 minutes or until tender. If you have a microwave-safe cooking dish with a lid, place the vegetables and 20ml of water in the dish, cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until soft. Strain as necessary, reserving the cooking liquid.

Use a stick blender to puree the veggies, adding a little of the cooking water to help thin it down and make it smooth. Set aside 2 teaspoons of pureed vegetables for your baby’s meal and freeze the remaining puree in an ice cube tray.

This is an edited extract from Food Babies Love by Emily Dupuche, published by Pan Macmillan, RRP $29.99.