07/11/2009 by D.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 big head broccoli, cut into florets
1 veg stock cube
1 ltr boiling water (or half water, half milk)
pinch nutmeg
1 cup grated cheddar

Fry onion in a saucepan with oil until glassy.  Add broccoli, stock cube and water (water should cover broccoli by about 1cm).  Leave to boil for around 20 mins.  When broccoli is cooked, blitz the soup, then stir in the cheddar and nutmeg.  Season to taste.  It should be fairly thick.

For toddlers, serve a small bowl of this with fingers of toast to dip (I use toasted wholemeal pitta pockets, cut into strips).

NB this soup works equally well with purple sprouting broccoli.  To make the soup more creamy, substitute milk for half the water.

Posted in Broccoli, Soup, Nutmeg, Onion, Toddler, Recipe, Weaning | Print | No Comments »

03/10/2009 by D.

1 Butternut squash
1 jar sundried tomatoes in oil (I use the merchant gourmet ones)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
250g tub mascarpone
pinch salt

Heat your oven to 200 degrees.  Cut the squash in half and lay on a greased tin, (or on baking paper if you value your tin as the skins can fuse to it).  Put in the oven to bake for between 40mins to an hour, depending on your squash.

Drain the tomatoes (save the oil for salad dressings) and chop into small strips around 1cm long.  You don’t have to be precise.  Mix the tomatoes with the mascarpone, salt and nutmeg.  Taste it, and adjust as necessary.  It should be a little on the salty side to combat the sweetness of the squash.  Return the mixture to the mascarpone tub and put in the fridge until the squash are done.

Test the the squash after 40 mins.  They are ready when a fork goes easily into the flesh (don’t prick them all over as it won’t look too pretty though!).  When they are soft, turn the oven off, take the squash out but keep the door shut.  Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and discard (unless you are into roasting them, but I haven’t tried that one yet).

Fill the squash cavity with the mascarpone mixture and return to the oven for 20 mins (but do not switch it back on!).  When you take them out the mascarpone will have melted and heated.  Serve immediately with a feisty growing communities salad or some watercress on the side.

Any extra filling makes an awesome pasta sauce.

Posted in Sundried Tomatoes, Nutmeg, Butternut squash, Vegetarian, Toddler, Recipe, Weaning | Print | 1 Comment »