Spanakopita (spinach and feta pies) for the whole family

Spanakopita is one of my favourite foods in the world.  Love it, love it, love it.  I'd never considered feeding it to my son though until recently.  I mean, why not?  Surely it's the ideal finger food / hidden vegetable dish.

This recipe is my own take on spanakopita, purists will notice some inaccuracies but it contains the key elements of spinach and feta cheese which is vital.

Spanakopita - makes 7 triangles - suitable for toddlers, baby led weaners and older babies on finger foods and adults

Ingredients

200g Frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
200g Feta cheese
30g Grated vintage / Extra Strong (Sharp) cheddar
1/2 an onion, chopped finely
2 eggs
A few gratings of nutmegs
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
Filo (fillo / phylo) pastry - 7 sheets (freeze the rest if there's more)
Olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC / 400F.

Fry the onion gently in a tsp of olive oil until softened.  Put into a bowl to cool.

Drain the spinach, squeeze it through a sieve to remove as much water as you can.

Crumble the feta and grate the cheddar.  Add to the onions with the spinach, eggs, oregano and nutmeg.  Mix together.

Lay one filo sheet out and brush half of it lengthways lightly with oil.  Wrap the remaining sheets in a damp clean teatowel.  They will crack and dry out very quickly otherwise.

Fold it in half so it has one very long side and one short.  Brush the surface with oil again.

Put 1 tbsp at the end and fold over one corner.  Fold the triangle that created back up the length of the pastry.

Fold that back along the diagonal and continue this process until you've used up all of the pastry.

Brush the top with oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned and crisp.

Serve ideally warm rather than hot, the flavour is better that way.  I have a sneaking love of these cold from the fridge the next day (so I've not tried freezing any uncooked.)

I've linked this up to a linky party here.

Baked White Fish with Herbs

Why is it that we're obsessed with feeding babies and toddlers crumbed foods?  What is that about?  I remember a colleague saying to me once, why is it mothers feed their babies organic everything, then they hit toddlerhood and it's all chicken nuggets and smiley faces?

There is a place for hiding things, making things look tasty, or familiar but if you never offer fish that looks like fish or meat that looks like meat, how will your child learn to like it?

So, in the supermarket, I picked up some basa and marinaded it in olive oil, lemon and herbs and served it simply with some vegetables.  No reason why you shouldn't use a different fish, basa was just chosen for cost purposes.  I wasn't sure my son would like it but he did.  A lesson in being brave perhaps?  Why not try something which looks like real 'adult' food to your kid tomorrow and see what happens?  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Might not look pretty but it tasted good!

Marinated white fish for the whole family - serves 2 adults (I gave an adult sized portion to my son and he ate about two thirds of it.)

Ingredients

265g Basa fillets or other white fish of your choice
Herbs; I used these fresh herbs from my (new) herb garden; chives, lemon thyme, parsley and common thyme
2 tsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Olive oil

Method

Cut up the herbs finely, mix with the lemon juice with the olive oil and marinate the fish in the mixture.

Put in the fridge for half an hour or so (any longer and the fish will start to change texture with the acidity and start to look 'cooked' around the edges, that doesn't really matter though, it still tastes great.

Cook at 180oC / 350F for 12 mins or so.

Serve with vegetables, season if liked (for adults) and enjoy!  No reason not to feed this to babies on mashed foods as fish mashes beautifully.

I've linked up this post here and here!

A Party Food Menu

Well  the Diamond Jubilee is soon and the London Olympics are round the corner.  Time to get planning some party food menus!

As you will have seen from my recent posts, there has been a lot of parties recently in the Mamacook household and I have to say my first party (Mamacook junior's second birthday) had me very stressed out.  By the second, I'd calmed down and got a bit of a system.

I thought I'd share some learnings and some recipe ideas to get you going and perhaps a few words which will calm the nerves and reassure you it is doable to cater for 30 with ease.

Buffet is the way to go generally unless you can seat everyone comfortably.  It also means if everything isn't ready at the same time it doesn't really matter.

This takes me onto my second point.  In my view, there should always be one or two hot dishes in a buffet.  Don't kill yourself making everything hot but likewise, something hot makes it look like you've made some effort (even if that's way more effort than you have.)

Of course the trick then is to give things which are easily reheated like sausage rolls or quiches or make something which can be prepared in advance and chucked in the oven requiring minimal attention (sausage, chicken and potato dishes are good for this) and also ask for and accept help.  Making 4-5 dishes on your own is a hassle, it's hard work.  Delegate.  Get someone else to make the salad, make a meat dish.  (Generally people like to help!)  Also remember a buffet isn't the time to make your fantastic sourdough, buy in some good bread and good cheese and that will keep a lot of people happy without breaking your spirit.

So, I try and think about the whole menu.  Are you choosing a theme?  Unless you're sticking to largely British or European fare which generally all work well, its probably a good idea to think "do all of these work on a plate together?"  I remember my Mum doing a party when I was younger and cooking plain boiled rice for one dish then thinking "I'll cook a curry for people who like curry and a chilli for people who like chilli."  Logical yes?  Well yes it was but most people had a spoonful of curry and a spoonful of chilli which wasn't really her intention and was just a bit odd.

I did read some research once where they proved that given more choice (in this case with sandwiches) people ate more.  So bear this in mind in quantities and menu.  Variety encourages people to eat more and eat more variety.  People don't think "I'll just take these two items that go together".

I've stuck to a fairly British and European menu for most of the parties this year but there is also a suggestion at the end for an easy Indian style buffet.

So you need at least one meat, ideally a fish, something vegetarian (even if you don't have vegetarian guests as some people are fussy about certain fishes and meat), greens and a starch.

So for my son's birthday party I served:

Quiches (made the day before and reheated)
Sausage rolls (made by my mum and reheated)
A mixed salad
Mini chipolatas (prepared the day before and just baked in the oven and served hot)

Potato wedges (hot)
A bowl of prawns (my son loves prawns)
A board of British cheeses (my son loves Stilton)
Bread

For Pudding:

Birthday cupcakes (made into the shape of a "very hungry caterpillar" copying this very clever idea from Bessies Veggie food)
Grape sugar free jelly

For a family birthday I served:

Mini tomato and brie tarts (served warmish)

New potatoes roasted with garlic and lemon from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's recipe (served hot)
Salad
A plate of different smoked salmons and prawns
Mini chipolatas (prepared the day before and just baked in the oven and served hot.  This was insisted upon by my husband, chipolatas feel like kids food for me.)
Coronation chicken (made by my sister in law)
A mixed salad
Bread

For Pudding

Pavlova (meringue made the day before)

Cherry Brownies from the Baking Mad website made with normal plain flour and without spice.  Very rich, only a tiny square needed (but the extras were taken home in boxes.)  All made the day before.

An Indian Inspired Buffet:

Indian food makes an ideal buffet.  This menu would only require two recipes to be made close to serving time.

Kachumber
Carrot Salad
Spicy prawn rice
Chicken Tikka (can prepare the night before)
Naan breads
Raita
Mutter Paneer
Chutneys and pickles

I think this would make a brilliant buffet followed up with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!  Have some confidence, prepare in advance then sit back and absorb the compliments!

Sugar free ice lollies for kids and adults

What a surprise this weather has been.  Can you believe a few days ago we were barely in double figures and now the temperature gauge is hitting 25oC with ease?

Well because of the heat and generally being busy, I have to apologise for the lapse in posts but I think you'll agree although this recipe is simple, it's the ideal one for these sticky days.

People always think of juice as a healthy option and, in some ways it is but it's also worth remembering that it's quite high in natural sugar so it's not something you'd want to serve all of the time as a drink.  Juice made into a dessert though, like in my sugar free jelly recipe or as a lolly it means it takes longer for your kids (or you) to consume and feels more like you've had something more than just a drink.

Sugar Free Ice Lollies - Great for kids, (or parents)

Ingredient

Fruit juice of your choice, I used apple juice

Method

Pour the juice into a lolly mould not filling all of the way to the top, allow a small gap for expansion.  Put into the freezer until fully frozen (I left them overnight).

To unmould, if they stick, pour over some boiling water over the mould you are trying to loosen.  Pull out and serve!

Not all kids are into ice cream and ice lollies, my son isn't amazingly keen on eating cold things but this is certainly a great alternative to buying an ice lolly full of artificial ingredients and significantly cheaper too.  Here for example, is an ingredient list for a fruit flavoured ice lolly (source: mysupermarket.co.uk):

Water, Fruit Juices from Concentrate (25%) (Orange, Pineapple, Lemon, Raspberry, Black Currant), Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Citric Acid, Stabilisers (Guar Gum, Sodium Alginate, Carrageenan), Flavourings, Colours (E104, E124, E110, E100, E162, E133)), Emulsifier (E471)

Three of those colourings are associated with hyperactivity in children.  Now for much of the time I am of the opinion that artificial colours are probably not going to be the end of the world but my big beef is why put them in?  It makes no flavour difference.  Kids don't need food to look like it's made out of lego to eat it!  If you want colour, why not play around with this?  Layer up different flavours?  What about grape, apple and mango!

Some babies even like ice lollies, especially when teething, just be watchful for breaking pieces in their mouths if they are very young.

Enjoy the British summer while it lasts!

Update:  Toddler has now decided he loves ice lollies and why on earth does he not have them more often?  Hit with the boy and with Daddy!