Chorizo and Mozzarella Panini for Toddlers

Ok, I know I'm mixing countries here but panini aren't Italian anyway.  If you asked for a panino in Italy, you'd probably get a bread roll!

But in the UK (and I think the US where it was probably invented) it has come to mean a toasted sandwich normally made in a baguette or ciabatta.  I often share one of these with my son if there is no other option when we're out.  I say "if there's no other option" because they're often served in cafes which are one of the few places in some towns which will serve food at 11:30/11:45 which is when my little man gets hungry.

Well it occurred to me that we often make toasted sandwiches in our famous boxer endorsed "grilling machine" so why not panini?  I chose chorizo because there was precious little choice of Italian salamis in my local supermarket this morning, certainly nothing spicy and I like chorizo.  I chose mozzarella because you need something which melts well.

Chorizo and Mozzarella Panini - serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

2 and a half mini baguettes or ciabattas
1 large tomato
125g ball of mozzarella
60g / 2oz approx of thinly sliced chorizo (or more if you're in a meaty mood).
Spray oil

Method

Preheat your grilling machine.

Slice the tomato thinly and the mozzarella.

Open up the baguettes and layer up the chorizo, mozzarella and tomato inside.  Close them back up.  I found I had to halve them to cook so just check the size of your grill.  Spray a little spray oil on the outside of the baguettes then put in the machine pressing down on them to flatten slightly.

Cook for 3-5 minutes in the machine.  I found if I cooked on high it would be pretty toasted on the outside but not boiling hot in the middle, which can be a good thing when serving to a toddler but if you want it hotter all of the way through, just cook on a lower heat for longer.

Allow to cool before serving to a toddler (if you open it out again it cools pretty quickly) and serve with carrot and cucumber sticks on the side.

I've linked this up to Totally Tasty Tuesdays and Seasonal Inspiration.

Proper Cocoa

This is probably a recipe for older kids and adults.  Forget hot chocolate, it's not that nasty overly sweet confection, this is the good stuff, the real stuff, the thing you crave when it's chilly outside...

Proper Cocoa - serves 1

Ingredients

Approx 300ml of milk (or what your mug of choice will hold)
1 rounded tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot chocolate)
2 tsp light muscovado sugar or another light brown sugar
2 tbsp double (heavy) cream (or more if you like)
Chocolate or cocoa to decorate (optional)

Method

Put all apart from 1tbsp of the milk into a microwavable jug and microwave for 90 secs (category E, 850W).  Mix the remainder of the milk in the mug you will serve it in with cocoa and the sugar until it forms a paste.

While the milk is heating, whisk the cream until it forms firmish peaks but don't overwhisk.

Pour the hot milk onto the paste and stir well.  Microwave for another 30-40 seconds or until hot enough for your liking.

Either spoon or pipe the cream on top (much better than squirty cream, trust me) and sprinkle with cocoa or chocolate if liked, then serve.  Instant body central heating.  Hmmmmmm.

I've linked this up to Totally Tasty Tuesdays!

Very Berry Compote for Babies and Toddlers (and their parents)

I love berries.  In summer, pretty much the only pudding I really want is fresh raspberries, maybe with some blueberries or blackberries depending on the month.  I miss that in the winter, as does my son from the amount of times he's asked for "Strawberries and Cream" recently.

Well winter feels like it's here and if you think I'm buying a hothouse strawberry at this time of year, you must be mistaken.  There's no point.  The flavour in strawberries is pretty much all perfume and sweetness, winter strawberries have neither (and some would argue a lot of summer ones aren't much better!)  So I have turned to the frozen berries.  Raspberries can just about get away with being frozen and defrosted to be eaten cold and only just.  They're still better as part of a dish.  That said, you can use the tendency for berries to leak juice to your advantage and make this compote.

I have added honey to the compote because the frozen berries I had weren't very sweet.  Obviously only do so if your child is over 1 year old and if you want to.  I wouldn't have sweetened this when my son was still a baby and if you're looking at 1-2 tsp across the whole batch, it's not a lot compared with cakes and sweets.  Likewise if you do have a younger baby, you could also whizz this up and sieve out the seeds (if you want to, I never bothered) and mix with yoghurt for a lovely pudding.

For adults this would be great as a topping for a good vanilla ice cream or even as a topping for porridge in the morning.

Berry Compote - Makes 4 toddler sized portions or 2 adult portions (but my son did have seconds)

Ingredients

3 ripe pears (if they're less than ripe you might need more honey)
200g, 7oz frozen berries, mine had a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants and black currants
1-2 tsp honey (optional)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Peel and core the pears and put into a saucepan.  Add the berries, honey and cinnamon and heat gently until all of the berries are defrosted.

Continue to heat until everything is softened and hot through.  Cool until they're warm rather than boiling hot to serve.  A bit of pouring cream on top went down well with my little man.  An easy way to get those 5 a day in!  My son had seconds and asked for thirds which is when Mummy said "perhaps you've had enough..." especially as his face was kind of purple.

Can also be served cold in a little pot with some pouring cream in a lunchbox (although perhaps just for grown ups considering the potential for mess!)

I've linked this up to Totally Tasty Tuesdays!

Pumpkin Risotto with Thyme for babies and toddlers

I posted a risotto recipe a while back.  It was made in the slow cooker to make it easy with a little one around but, well it wasn't quite as good as a proper risotto, not that this is a 'proper' risotto, not really.  I've used some cheats and used up items in my fridge which needed using.

Risotto made with parmesan is not vegetarian so if you do want to make this veggie, you will need to switch the cheese.  A good tip is Berkswell which is a British cheese made from vegetarian rennet but it is a hard parmesan style.  Alternatively use a vintage cheddar, a properly strong 'crunchy' one.  Obviously all of these changes are completely inauthentic but then as ever I make no claims for authenticity!

So this was made after my son spent the morning at a birthday party eating breaded bits and bobs and sugary snacks.  You have to admit it's quite a good thing to have a risotto freshly made for you to include some vegetables into your diet!  He's a lucky boy!

Risotto - serves 1 adult or 2 toddlers / children

Ingredients

Stock - apologies, when I'm making risotto, I tend not to measure how much I have but that's often the way and you could always add some boiling water if you run out.  Obviously home made stock is best, you get an unctuousness from the gelatine apart from just the flavour but I have to admit today I didn't have any chicken bones so I made my stock from a stock cube and some vegetables with boiling water, straining out the veg.  Look, I know, I know.  For very young kids, use low salt stock.  Obviously use vegetable stock if you are following a vegetarian diet.
10g (1/3 oz) butter
1/2 a small onion, very finely diced
75g, 2.5 oz pumpkin, cut into a fine dice
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
60g of risotto rice, e.g. arborio,
A further 10g, 1/3 oz butter
20g, 2/3oz grated parmesan or well flavoured hard cheese of your choice (see above comments)
A couple of sprigs of thyme

Method

Put your stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil, put on a simmer while you prepare the rest.

Melt 10g butter in a frying pan and gently fry the onion and pumpkin in the butter for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft but not coloured.  Add in the garlic and then the rice.  Stir around for a couple of minutes then add in a ladleful of stock.  Allow to bubble, stirring fairly often until almost all of the stock is gone.  Continue doing this for around 15 minutes or until the rice and pumpkin is cooked.  Slow down the stock addition towards the end to avoid it being too wet.  Once the rice is cooked to your liking, take off the heat while you prepare the butter, grated cheese and thyme.

Add in the dairy and thyme and beat it all together.  Allow to cool to a suitable temperature for your child before serving.  Delicious.

Of course my reasoning for cooking a risotto in a slow cooker when my son was younger was he was always on my hip.  Where was my 2 year old while I was cooking this?  On my hip and considerably heavier than he was 12 months ago.  That worked then!  Ah well, at least now he's more cooperative because he's interested in what I'm doing!

Variation:

Omit the pumpkin and take a handful of frozen broad beans.  Run some boiling water over them in the sieve and while the risotto is cooking, press each between your thumb and forefinger to pop out the little green beans inside.  Throw away the skins.

2-3 minutes before the risotto is cooked, add in the beans.  Once the risotto is cooked, continue as above by adding in the cheese, butter and thyme.

My son pronounced this to be "delicious"!