1594/2375 MLA 6 /12 months Doc
20/3/01
12:01 PM
Page 1
How to cook tender meat for your baby. Keep meat pink in the centre to retain moisture as overcooked beef or lamb is tough and chewy. This is safe as the heat generated from cooking will kill any bacteria. The exception is mince - always cook ‘well’ until no longer pink.
Basic Panfry/ BBQ Recipe • Use lean beef rump, sirloin steak, veal schnitzel, lean lamb cutlets and chops. • Cook 2-3 minutes on each side on high heat. Don’t turn meat too often. • Test by pressing with tongs, the meat should still feel soft with no crusty bits or charred edges.
Basic Casserole Recipe
Basic Mince Sauce Recipe
• Heat a teaspoon of oil and fry 200g diced lean lamb forequarter, or diced beef from chuck or round steak, or 1 lamb shank.
• Fry 500g lean mince in 2 tsp oil stirring constantly and breaking up with spoon until well browned and no longer pink.
• Add 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery and 1 potato, chopped and enough water to just cover.
• Stir in 1/4 cup tomato paste and 400g canned tomatoes and 1 tsp sugar.
• Simmer, covered. Meat should be fork tender (1 1/2 - 2 hours).
• Add finely-grated vegetables such as 1 carrot or zucchini.
• If more cooking is required reduce heat.
• When boiling, reduce to low heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
• Remove with tongs and allow to rest for 2 minutes.
How to prepare meat meals for your baby. Smooth Texture (about 6 months) • Serve meat separately at first. • Blend panfried meat in a food processor or hand blender with a little boiled water to a smooth paste. • Some babies prefer meat blended with vegetables such as pumpkin, potato, zucchini and broccoli. • Blend meat and vegetables from basic casserole and mince sauce recipes using
fluid from the casserole or sauce. If necessary, add extra boiled water for a smooth paste. Smooth Texture Meal Ideas • Cook veal steak in a steamer over gently simmering water until meat is cooked. • Roast a lamb shank by placing on a bed of 1 grated carrot and 1 celery stick. Add a little water and roast at 180°C for 1 hour. Remove meat from bone and blend with vegetables and water.
Lumpy Texture (about 7- 9 months) • For a thicker consistency and a rougher texture, blend meat less or chop cooked meat very finely. • Mince provides a perfect lumpy texture. Lumpy Texture Meal Ideas • Grill a lamb chop or use inner slices of roast lamb. Chop finely. Mix with mashed, steamed or baked vegetables.
• Replace the vegetables in the basic casserole recipe with 125g mushrooms, 2 carrots, 1 capsicum and a 425g can of tomatoes. Coarsely blend with boiled rice. • Coarsely blend mince sauce with well cooked pasta.
Finger foods (about 9 - 12 months)
Change the texture of the basic recipes above according to the age of your baby.
➞ For instance, the meat, vegetables, casserole juices and rice from the adult’s meal above were blended to a smooth paste.
• As your baby’s control of his or her hands improves, they can feed themselves. • Never leave your baby alone while eating. • Cut food into small pieces which can easily be managed or held onto for chewing. • Do not serve hard foods such as raw carrot, celery, apple and nuts as these may cause your baby to choke.
Finger Food Ideas • Grilled lamb cutlets for teething gums (avoid bone with sharp edges). Serve with steamed vegetables. • Slice panfried meat into thin strips and serve with cooked shell pasta, slices of tomato and mushrooms. • Try slices of meatloaf, rissoles and 100% beef sausages (remove skin and cut into small pieces to prevent choking).