Some delicious recipes from my own kitchen and other mums!
If you have one to share please email mail@babybanana.biz
Fish Cakes
1 large cod loin poached in milk, flaked into little pieces
1 large carrot, grated
2 big handfuls of peas
4 potatoes
Approx 50g Cheese
6 slices of bread made into crumbs
2 eggs
Put the carrot and peas in boiling water for a few mins, then add to flaked fish in a large bowl. Add the cheese. Rice the potatoes and add to bowl. Mash a bit with a masher so all mixed together and nice small pieces. Make into fish cake shapes. Dip in the egg, roll in the breadcrumbs and fry in a little oil until golden brown.
Serve cut into 4 pieces
Eggy bread:
1 slice of white bread.
1 egg yolk
whole milk.
vanilla
butter
Beat egg, milk and vanilla. put bread in the mixture and wait a few minutes until bread is soaked. Then fry lighly in a bit of butter.
Cut into soldiers and give as finger food
Polenta recipe.
1/2 litre of milk and water (half and half)
1/2 a chicken stock cube
dried herbs
some cheese grated
1 knob of butter
1 tomatoe
1 clove of garlic
1 small onion
1/2 a yellow peper
bring the water/milk to the boil , add half the stock cube and pour in the polenta, stir in very quickly to avoid lumps and cook for 3 minute until thickened. When ready, add a knob of butter, the cheese and the herbs.
Chop finely (or grate) the garlic and the onion and fry lightly, add the tomatoe and the peper. Mix with the polenta mixture.
Pour the whole thing on a flat oven dish ( I use the pizza round dish that came with my microwave) and spread and leave to cool for 10/20 minutes.
preheat the grill on high and place the polenta under the grill until golden.
When ready cut into squares or triangles. yummy
It's slightly crispy on the outside and lovely and soft on the inside.
Cheesy corn muffins.
makes 12
100g mature cheddar cheese
125g polenta (if you don't have polenta you can replace it with the same quantity of plain flour)
175g self-raising flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
150ml milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
4 tablespoon sunflower oil
salt/peper
butter to serve
12 paper muffin cases
Set the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6
Put polenta, flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl and coarsely grate the cheese and stir
In a measuring jug put the milk, eggs, mustard and oil add a pinch of salt and some peper and beat together
add the milk mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just mixed
Spoon into paper cases and bake for 15 minute until well risen and golden brown.
Serve the muffins warm, broken and spread with butter.
They are better eaten on the day they are made.
Sweetcorn croquettes
250g sweetcorn, drained and left whole, chopped or blitzed (according to how your lo would cope with it)
In a bowl, mix 75g flour, 2 eggs and 1 tbsp of cream, a bit of peper and a bit of salt
Add the sweetcorn and mix together, leave in the fridge for 30 minutes
When ready form little balls (or whatever shape you can make.lol) and roll into bread crumbs.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Pork Casserole
1 x park of cubed pork fillet
1 tbspn of olive oil
2 carrots
1 big parsnip
3 stalks of celery
2 onions
1 leek
3 apples
1 medium swede
2 tablespoons flour
tsp dried sage
black pepper
Saute the onion, leek, carrot, celery, parsnip and swede in the oil.
Toss the pork fillet in the flour and add to veg. Add apple.
Cover with water, add some sage and black pepper.
Cook in oven for about 2 - 2 and a half hours until all soft and gooey, and sauce starts to thicken.
Banana bread
2oz butter/margarine/veg oil
4oz sugar, 1 egg beaten
3 mashed bananas
3oz self-raising wholemeal flour
2oz sultanas or another small banana.
Oven 180C
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Mix in bananas, flour. Add more flour if necessary. Put in greased tin and cook about 45mins.
Veggie Muffins
2 shallots or 1 medium onion - grated
100g courgette - grated
100g carrot - grated or 100g of tinned sweetcorn drained
100g red pepper, deskinned and finely chopped
100g sweet potato - steamed and mashed
100g shredded spinach or finely chopped brocolli
4 eggs
100g cheddar - grated
225g SR flour
75ml veg oil
Heat over to 180C
Steam the SP and mash, set aside
Put all the remaining veg in a bowl and add the oil and cheese - mix
Fold in the flour
Fold in the mashed sweet potato
Whisk the eggs until frothy and then fold into mixture
Grease a muffin tin and spoon the mixure in.
Cook for 20-25min until risen and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out.
Should make about 16muffins - can be frozen.
Chicken & Sweet Potato Croquettes
1 small chicken breast or half a larger one
1 med SP steamed and mashed
1 carrot steamed and mashed
Handful of herbs of choice
1 egg beaten
Fresh breadcrumbs
Flour for dusting
Either mince the chicken or chop up very finely. Stick in a bowl wiht herbs and mashed SP and carrot. Mix well, add a little of the beaten egg to help bind it and if it looks sloppy then some of the breadcrumbs to thicken it.
Using floured hands, shape into small croquettes/lozenge shapes. Roll in flour, dip in egg and roll in breadcrumbs.
Place on a non stick baking tray and bake for 15-20mins at 180 degrees.
Spinach and Cheese Pancake
100g plain flour
1/2pt milk
1 egg
grated cheese
shredded spinach - I used frozen - just a few lumps of
Make up standard pancake batter with flour, milk and egg. Add grated cheese and defrosted spinach or if fresh then shred finely. Mix well and make as per usual pancakes. You could also make this like a griddle cake mix so it's thicker and you make chunkier pancakes I suppose.
Baby Mini Quiches
400gram plain flour
200gram baking marg
egg yolk
water.
12 ish eggs use organic if you can (remember this is for loads of quiche so adjust)
Milk - any type but maybe not breast if feeding to MIL too.
Stuff for fillings (our faves are leeks, onions, tomato, courgette, peppers, mushrooms).
Grated cheese (Edam or chedder).
Pre heat oven to 150. First make the pastry by rubbing marg into flour then binding together with an egg yolk or 2 (put white aside as this can be used for filling and a dash of water (as much as you need). Add pinch of salt if you want. Beat eggs up adding milk to this (until it looks pale - you need enough to fill your pastry cases once youve added your fillings). Grease your quiche bowl Use your yorkshire pudding/bun tin for mini quiches. Roll out pastry until thin - best to do little at a time. For mini quiches use a biscuit cutter to cut circles to fit your but tray. Place your circles into each one. Blind bake in oven for a few mins (turn oven down to 100) Best to sweat your fillings a little especially if using leek and onion. Add your fillings into the cases then fill up with the egg mixture. Cover the top with cheese. Put in the oven until done turn back up to 150 - about 20 mins they will begin to brown on top (take them out and cool on cooling wrack). With your big 'parent size' quiches you can place tomato or courgette cut into slices on top of the cheese layer. Sorry I am not exact. Once cooked can be frozen. Just reheat in oven when defrosted.
Savoury Dropped Scones
100g SR Flour
1 egg
4tbsp milk
grated cheese
chopped herbs
Mix flour and egg, gradually add enough milk to make a thick batter
Add cheese and herbs or any other savoury ingredient you fancy (shredded spinach, chopped brocolli, grated carrot).
Fry in a hot well oiled pan or griddle for about 3mins, turning once.
Set aside on kitchen paper to drain and serve either warm or cold.
Bacon and Egg loaf
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C or gas 6. Grease a large loaf tin well. Then...
1 cup chopped bacon or lardons
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup chopped tomatos
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
mix all of the above together well and put the mix in a large loaf tin.
Bake in the hot oven for 1 hour. Leave to cool before slicing.
Ricotta croquettes:
250g ricotta, left on a sieve to drain off the excess water
1 tbs flour
2 tbs parmesan
1 tbs flat leave parsley (can be replaced by thyme, basil or chives)
1 egg
white peper (and salt for adults)
bread crumbs
olive oil
Mix ricotta, flour, parmesan finely grated,parlsey and beaten egg and white peper.
Form little croquettes (the mixture shouldn’t be too stiff)
Roll them in breadcrumbs and fry in olive oil under medium heat.
Courgettes stuffed with ricotta:
8 round courgettes
250g ricotta
3 eggs
1 tbs parlsey, finely chopped
1 tbs olive oil
salt (for adults) and peper
Preheat the oven at 210°C (therm 7)
Wash the courgettes, cut the top bit and scoop out the flesh, discarding the seeds.
Mix ricotta and egg yolks, add parsley, salt and peper
Beat the egg whites until stiff amd incorporate to the ricotta mixture
Fill the courgettes with the mix and place then in an oven dish
Pour some olive oil on top and cook for 20/25 min
Chicken and ricotta sausage rolls:
2 eggs
425g chicken breast, chopped
250g ricotta
2 tbs chopped basil
1 tbs chives
salt and peper
puff pastry
Preheat oven at 210 °C (therm 7)
Line a oven plaque with grease proof paper/baking parchemin
Beat the egg, add the chicken, ricotta, basil, chives and peper (salt for adults) mix well
Shape the mixture into 4 long sausage shapes of 25 cm and place them onto the puff pastry and roll the pastry around each sausage shapes.
Cut into 8 pieces and brush with 1 beaten egg
Put in the oven for 20.25 min or until golden.
Green gnocchis:
450g frozen spinach
500 g ricotta
3 eggs
75g flour
75g breadcrumbs
30 g grated parmesan
nutmeg
butter
basil
peper
Blanch the spinach in boiling water, drain well and chop finely
Mix ricotta and spinach
Add the eggs and the parmesan
Add the flour and the breadcrumbs, the peper, nutmeg and the basil
On a floured worktop, shape the mix into little ball (about an inch) and put them on your floured worktop.
Put them one by one into boiling water, leave to cook for a little while and after they have come back to the surface, take them out of the water
Place in a place and sprinkle with grated parmesan and pour a bit of melted butter.
Olive,ham and cheese savoury cake:
250g self-raising flour
4 eggs
100 ml olive oil
200g black or green olive (or both)
150 g ham
100 g cheese
peper
Sieve flour and mix with eggs and olive oil until you get smooth, thick batter
dice the ham and grate the cheese and add to the mixture. Add the olives and mix well.
Grease a cake tin (rectangular one) and pour the mixture in.
Bake at 180C for 45 minutes.
Eat warm or cold
Can be frozen
Quinoa pancakes:
75g quinoa
2 onions
1 egg
1 heaped tablespoon of fromage frais
1 level tbsp of chopped chives
2 level tbsp flour
olive oil
peper
cook the quinoa according to instructions on the paquet (boil for 15 minutes then take off the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes)
chop the onions and fry them until golden in a bit of olive oil
mix onions and quinoa
Add the egg, fromage frais, chives and sieved flour and peper
Heat some oil in a frying pan and use a spoon to fry little pancakes of the mixture (you can make about 10) about 4 minutes on each side. Drain on kitchen paper
Roasted butternut squash with mint, creme fraiche and pasta:
1 butternut squash
200g pasta
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
a small handfull of fresh mint leaves
preheat oven 180C/350F/gas mark 5
wrap squash in tinfoil and put in the oven for 1h30
Scoop out all the flesh of the squash and chop it, mix it with cooked and drained pasta, add creme fraiche and stir through to make a creamy sauce.
Sprinkle finely chopped mint.
Chicken, Fennel and Thyme Risotto
1 large chicken boobie diced
1/2 bulb of fennel
1 onion
1 large carrot
3 sticks of celery
chicken stock
risotto rice
glass of white wine
sprigs of thyme
First chop up the veg finely as you can, put them and a couple of sprigs of thyme in a large saucepan with a bit of oil and sautee them over a low heat for 20mins. Then add the diced chicken and cook until it is opaque. Remove the thyme sticks and then add the risotto rice, up the temperature and let it cook for a few mins. Start to ladle in the stock and wine little by little allowing the rice to absorb the stock between each spoonful until the rice is soft and tender. Add a bit of finely chopped thyme before serving.
Cod and Tomato Veg Bake
Cod fillets
Couple of spring onions
3-4 Carrots
Half a yellow pepper
1/2 a fennel bulb
1 courgette
1 can chopped toms
Provencale dried herbs mix
Fresh breadcrumbs
Grated cheese
Cut all the veg into ribbons and sautee for 20mins until soft
Put fish in an oven dish and bake until cooked. Then spread the sautee veg over and add the can of toms and herbs to cover the fish. Top with the breadcrumbs and grated cheese and bake until the top is nice a golden brown.