WEANING RECIPES (to be continued ... )

From 6 months (on the advice of a health visitor/pediatrician) you can begin the weaning.
It starts with preparing a simple soup at noon.
In the afternoon you can give the baby some fruit puree.
I refer to Baby rice, but it could be tapioca, semolina, multigrain, etc. whatever you and your little one prefer.
Remember to buy always ORGANIC food for your children.
My recipes are for 3 or 4 portions of food, but I used to freeze what remained and this came very handy when I had no time or simply didn't feel like cooking (again!).

VEGETABLE STOCK

Boil 1 potato and 2 carrots cut in half in a liter of water (without salt); reduce it to half, filter it (at
the beginning you offer the baby only the soup without adding the vegetables) and add:


2 tablespoons of cereals (baby rice, tapioca, semolina, multigrain)

1 tsp grated Parmesan

1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

After a week, add 1 tablespoon of potato and carrot puree.

CARROT POTATO AND COURGETTE PUREE

1 Potato
1 Carrot
1 Courgette
1 tbs Baby Rice
1 tsp grated Parmesan
1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Wash the vegetables. Peel and cut them into small pieces. Bring the water to the boil, add the vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes. Filter the stock and blend the vegetables using a mouli/sieve/food processor. Now pour in a bowl 150 ml of the vegetable stock, blend with  two tablespoons of vegetables, the Baby rice, the Parmesan and the  oil.

SWEET POTATO AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE

Ricotta cheese contains calcium, which is good for the growth of bones and teeth.

1 sweet potato
1/2 butternut squash o ¼ small pumpkin
2 tbs Ricotta cheese
1 tbs Baby rice
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil


Peel, wash and cut the sweet potato and the butternut squash into small pieces. Bring the water to the boil, add the vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes. Blend the vegetables using a mouli/sieve/food processor.
Now, the quantity of vegetables you use for a portion, depends on how much your baby eats;  it can be two or three spoons of pureed potato and butternut squash; add to it the Baby rice, some water (the same in which you cooked the vegetables), the Ricotta cheese , the Parmesan and the extra virgin olive oil.

HAM AND VEGETABLES PUREE

In Italy, the first kind of meat you give your children, is honey roasted ham (without polyphosphate).


1 potato
1 carrot
1 courgette
1 or two slices of honey roasted ham (without polyphosphate)
1 tbs Baby rice

1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil


Wash the vegetables. Peel and cut them into small pieces. Bring the water to the boil, add the vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes. In the meantime chop very finely the ham using a food processor. Filter the stock and blend the vegetables using a mouli/sieve/food processor. Now pour in a bowl the ham, two tablespoons of vegetables, some vegetable stock (the quantity depends on how thick you want the mixture to be), the Parmesan and the oil.

FENNEL PUREE

For this recipe you can use either the cheese or the meat, or none of them, it depends on which phase of the weaning you are.


1 fennel

2 tbs of Baby rice
40 gr Ricotta cheese/ Cottage cheese or 40 gr beef/veal escalope

1 tsp grated Parmesan
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Take out the outer and harder leaves of the fennel then cut it into wedges. Wash them and steam them until tender. If you are adding the meat, cook it in a bain-marie as well and when cooked, mince it finely in a food processor. Mince also the fennel, add 150- 200 ml of hot vegetable stock (or water). Pour in a tablespoon of instant porridge or Baby rice. Mix well. Combine with the meat or Ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese), Parmesan and oil.

CARROT AND POTATO PUREE WITH RICOTTA CHEESE

1 potato

1 carrot

40 g Ricotta cheese / Cottage cheese

1 tbs Baby rice

1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Wash the vegetables. Peel and cut them into small pieces. Bring the water to the boil, add the vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes. Filter the stock and blend the vegetables using a mouli/sieve/food processor. Now pour in a bowl the Ricotta cheese/Cottage cheese, two tablespoons of vegetables, some vegetable stock (the quantity depends on how thick you want the mixture to be), the Parmesan and the oil.

CHICKEN AND CARROT PUREE
This was my children's favourite.

2 carrots
1/2 organic chicken breast or 1/2 veal escalope or a small piece of beef fillet
1 tbs Baby rice
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Wash the vegetables. Peel and cut them into small pieces. Bring the water to the boil, add the carrots and simmer for 30 minutes. Cover the pot with a dish and on top put the chicken breast/veal/beef and cover it with another dish, so it will cook in a baine-marie. When ready chop it finely using a food processor. Filter the stock and blend the carrots using a mouli/sieve/food processor. Now pour in a bowl the meat, two tablespoons of carrots, some vegetable stock (the quantity depends on how thick you want the mixture to be), the Parmesan and the oil.

COURGETTE OR PEAS AND POTATO WITH TURKEY

1 potato

1 courgette (or the equivalent in weight of peas)

1/2 turkey breast

1 tbs Baby rice
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Wash the vegetables. Peel and cut them into small pieces. Bring the water to the boil, add the courgette/peas/potato and simmer for 30 minutes. Cover the pot with a dish and on top put the turkey breast and cover it with another dish, so it will cook in a baine-marie. When ready chop it finely using a food processor. Filter the stock and blend the carrots using a mouli/sieve/food processor. Now pour in a bowl the meat, two tablespoons of carrots, some vegetable stock (the quantity depends on how thick you want the mixture to be), the Baby rice, the Parmesan and the oil.

LENTIL PUREE

1 potato

1 carrot

1 courgette

2 tsp lentils

1 tbs Baby rice
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Wash the vegetables. Peel and cut them into small pieces. Bring the water to the boil, add the vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes. Rinse the lentils and cook them following the instructions on the package. Filter the stock and blend the vegetables (also the lentils) using a mouli/sieve/food processor. Now pour in a bowl three tablespoons of vegetables, some vegetable stock (the quantity depends on how thick you want the mixture to be), the Baby rice, the Parmesan and the oil.