Broccoli purée and finger food recipe

1. Cut the florets from the broccoli, leaving as much stem as possible, then wash in cold water. Heat a large saucepan filled with 6cm of boiling water over a medium high heat until simmering.
2. Put the broccoli into a steaming basket or heatproof sieve that fits into the circumference of the saucepan and place into the pan. Put a lid on and steam for 6-7 mins. It’s ready when it’s squashable between your forefinger and thumb.
3. Rinse the broccoli under cold water for 10-20 secs to cool and stop the cooking process.
4. Remove as many florets as you’d like to keep for finger food and purée the rest in a small food processor or using a stick blender until completely smooth. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Tips:

• If your baby is ready to move onto a lumpier texture, you can roughly mash the broccoli with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Just make sure there are no big lumps.
• You can serve both the purée and the finger food at the same time to help your baby explore different textures.
• If you’d like the purée to be looser, just stir in a splash of your baby’s normal milk a little at a time, until it’s the consistency you want.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

Freeze the purée in an ice cube tray and stir into sauces for older babies or simply defrost and reheat until piping hot before allowing to cool. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

See more Baby weaning recipes

*This recipe is appropriate for babies at the first stage of weaning, from around 6 months of age. Textures should be smooth to begin with then mashed or lumpy as your baby progresses through this stage. Soft finger foods can be offered at start of complementary feeding​. When weaning your baby, introduce allergenic foods one at a time and not before 6 months.