First of all, my grandest apologies for the lack of blog posting as of late. I've been spending my precious free moments in the kitchen, as well as actually completing a project I started nearly two years ago: electronically cataloging the mounds of recipes I have collected over the past fifteen years. More on this later.. but yes.. you read that correctly.. fifteen years! This lady has been a kitchen inhabitant since middle school, likely the marriage of a like-minded cooking mother and hungry siblings who weren't into eating dinner at eight pm.
For those of you who haven't met Annabel Karmel's book First Meals, it comes highly recommended from this house! As a mom constantly looking for new ideas on flavor combinations and creative meals for our LittleOne, I have found more than a two dozen go-to recipes to work with. Karmel has the chapters segregated into stages based on age and/or texture preferences. Although our LittleOne is now over a year, we try to keep variety to her diet in terms of texture - similar to myself, some days she prefers her food in fingerfood-appropriate chunks, and other days a lumpy puree is right up her alley. This particular recipe is from Karmel's earliest chapter (6-9 months, or first tastes) and has gotten two thumbs up from our LittleOne's sticky little fingers.
I will warn the reader that the first, second, and third time you open the refrigerated puree, the smell may widen your eyes. At first I thought it was first trimester smell-sensitivity, but The Husband ensured me that he had the same response. Unless your puree has been in the refrigerator for two or three weeks, don't assume it has gone bad. Pureed chicken just smells that appetizing. Once it has been warmed, the smell dissipates and your LittleOne will be eating her protein and beta-carotene by the smell-free, blissful spoonful.
As with most of our cooking, we generally avoid peeling vegetables. Four reasons: 1. Time saver 2. More fiber 3. Adds texture 4. In the case of baby food that will be pureed anyway, we're not concerned about large pieces of peel. However, if you're into that, both the grapes and sweet potato were recommended to be peeled in the original recipe.
Chicken, Sweet Potato and Grape Puree
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons onion, peeled and chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 sweet potato, chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 cup unsalted chicken stock or broth
6 seedless grapes (we used red, however I'm confident either will be fine)
Preparation:
Saute the onion in the olive oil until softened but not colored.
Add the chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes until browned.
Add the sweet potato and chicken stock.
Cover and simmer for about ten to twelve minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the grapes and puree in a blender, food processor, or food mill until desired consistency.
Serve warm.
Refrigerate for up to one week.
Adapted from: First Meals by Annabel Karmel
