Now that little Coco is eating three meals a day, I thought I’d share a few of her current favourites with you: sweet potato and fish purée; lentils and apple, pear compote.  We still have to purée everything, although we’ve detected a glimmer of white through her bottom gum so hopefully she’ll have a few teeth soon.  I was beginning to wonder if she had any in there at all!

Sweet potato and fish purée

The what:

1 fillet (ca. 150g)of sustainable caught white fish (e.g. cod, haddock or hake), skinned and de-boned

400g sweet potato, peeled and chopped.

1 bay leaf

4 peppercorns

squeeze of lemon (optional)

pinch of grated nutmeg

150 – 200g your baby’s normal milk (enough to cover the fish)

The how:

Pre-heat oven to 200 (180 fan).

Place the fish in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with nutmeg and pour over the milk. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns and a squeeze of lemon. Cover with tinfoil and bake for about 20 minutes.  Test using a fork: it should flake away easily.

Meanwhile steam the potato using a microwaveable steamer (for 5-8 minutes depending on microwave power) or over a saucepan of boiling water.  Mash the potato using a potato masher.  When the fish is cooked, remove the bay leaf and peppercorns.  Add the fish to the potato, reserving the milk sauce.  Mix the fish and potato and purée using a hand-held blender, adding some of the milk sauce to achieve a smooth purée.

My first Lentils 

Makes 3-4 portions

The what:

1 leek, finely sliced

half a red onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1/2 tbsp olive oil

60g red split lentils

400ml chicken stock or 200ml stock and 200ml water

Tip: You can drain off and refrigerate (for 1-2 days) any excess stock and use in another purée recipe.

 

The how:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and leeks for 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add the carrots, lentils and stock (or water and stock) to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are soft and lentils cooked.  Drain any excess stock.  Purée using a hand-held blender.

Apple & Pear compote

Makes 2 portions.

This is a quick and easy dessert, which can be eaten alone or mixed with creme fraiche or yoghurt. It is also suitable for freezing.

The what:

1 dessert apple, pealed, cored and chopped

1 ripe conference pear, pealed, cored and chopped

1/2 tsp mixed spice

half a vanilla pod / 1/4 tsp vanilla essence

30ml water

 

The how:

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook, stirring regularly, for about 8 minutes until the fruit is soft – cooking time will depend on how ripe the fruit is. Add more water if needed.  Purée using a hand-held blender.