Spinach purée

Name: Spinach purée
Total time: 30 min
Yield: About 6 baby portions
Ingredients: 2 large handfuls (about 60 g / 2 oz) fresh spinach; 1 medium (about 200 g / 7 oz) potato; 2–4 tbsp water; 1–2 tsp breast milk or formula

Cooked spinach blended smooth and stirred through soft mashed potato, or blended with cooked pear or apple for a sweeter version. A simple first green with no salt. Worried about nitrates? Not for babies starting solids. The CDC's ATSDR reports that the AAP suggests avoiding home-prepared spinach, beets, green beans, squash and carrots until a baby is at least 3 months old, and solid foods aren't recommended before around 6 months anyway.

From: 6 months
Time: 30 min
Makes: About 6 baby portions

No top allergens

Ingredients

2 large handfuls (about 60 g / 2 oz)fresh spinachthick stems removed, or 2 cubes of frozen chopped spinach
1 medium (about 200 g / 7 oz)potatofor a sweeter purée, swap it for 1 ripe pear or 1 apple
2–4 tbspwaterfrom cooking the potato, or fresh water for the pear or apple
1–2 tspbreast milk or formulaoptional, to thin your baby's portion just before serving

Steps

1Wash your hands. Rinse the spinach well under running water, gently rubbing the leaves, and remove any thick stems. Scrub the potato with a clean vegetable brush under running water, peel it, and cut away any green, damaged or sprouting parts. If you're using pear or apple, rinse it under running water before you peel it, then cut out the core and all the seeds.
2Cut the potato into chunks about 2 cm (¾ in), cover with fresh water and boil, without salt, for about 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. For wedges to dip, cut a few pieces about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), and boil them with the chunks. Squash a wedge between your thumb and finger: it should flatten easily. If you have to press hard, cook it longer. Save a little of the cooking water, then drain. For pear or apple, simmer the chunks in a covered pan with 4 to 5 tbsp of water for about 10 to 12 minutes, until every piece squashes easily between your thumb and finger.
3Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a pan with a splash of water, or steam it, for about 2 to 3 minutes until it's very soft and dark green (cook frozen spinach until hot). Don't add salt. Let it cool a little, then squeeze out the extra water.
4Blend the spinach with 2 to 3 tbsp of the potato cooking water until completely smooth. Mash the potato with a fork or masher and stir the spinach through until it's evenly green (blending the potato itself can make it gluey). For the pear or apple version, blend the cooked fruit and spinach together.
5Lift a spoonful and look for whole leaves or long strands. If you see any, blend again. If it's too thick, thin the batch with a little water; thin only your baby's portion with breast milk or formula, just before serving.
6Spread it in a shallow bowl to cool, and check it's only just warm before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Serve it smooth on a pre-loaded spoon your baby can hold, or let them scoop it with their fingers. It also works spread on soft-cooked potato wedges about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), that squash easily between your thumb and finger. Check there are no whole leaves or long strands.

9 months+

Make it thicker and lumpier: chop the cooked spinach very finely instead of blending it, into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), and mash it into the potato with soft lumps. Check for whole leaves or long strands. If you see any, chop it again. Offer it on a spoon, or as a dip for soft-cooked potato pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch). Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger.

12 months+

Serve it as a green mash beside the family meal, or stir it through soft pasta in small shapes or pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), once wheat has been introduced on its own. Keep the spinach chopped or blended rather than serving whole wilted leaves, and check for whole leaves or long strands before serving.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Only keep purée that was thinned with water: a portion thinned with breast milk or formula is for that meal only. Cool leftovers quickly and keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. For batch cooking, spoon it into an ice cube tray, freeze it, then move the cubes to a labeled, dated freezer bag and use them within 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours of thawing, or defrost it in the microwave and reheat it straight away. Reheat it only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), stirring well, then let it cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl, and any purée left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

For the grown-ups

Double the potato and spinach and take your baby's portion out first. Stir butter or olive oil, black pepper and a pinch of salt into the rest for a green mash the whole family can have with fish or chicken.