Roast Chicken, Potato and Cherry Tomatoes

What a wonderful dish and the Imp gobbled it down, as did I.

8 chicken thighs, bone removed (this is even better if you have a friendly butcher who will do the work for you!)

10 medium potatoes, scrubbed clean

1-2 punnets cherry tomatoes, or use a mix of interesting looking tomatoes if you get to a decent market

olive oil

bunch of fresh thyme

Boil the potatoes until just soft, drain and push down with your thumb so they crack apart a little. Brown the chicken in a frying pan for a few minutes. Score one end of the tomatoes and boil them for a minute. The skins will easily peel off now. Arrange the chicken, potatoes and tomatoes in a roasting dish. In a mortar and pestle, crush up the fresh thyme, then you can add some olive oil to make a thyme oil infusion kind of thing. Pour this over your roast and put in a medium oven for around 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes brown on top.

The simple things in the oven

You don’t have to get all fancy when it comes to feeding your little one finger food. Personally I think one of the tastiest treats is your favourite vegetable rubbed in olive oil and left in the oven for a bit. Either cut your veg into chip shapes or manageable chunks, rub with a little oil, sprinkle with herbs if you wish. No salt for the little people, you can add yours later.

Try potato, pumpkin (butternut squash), summer squash, sweet potato, tomatoes (though can get messy), beetroot, parsnip, carrots, even kohlrabi!

You can usually tell when they are cooked, as they start to smell delicious and make your mouth water.

On how many ice cubes …

I was at a stay and play session this morning. I must have gotten there too early, as at the beginning there were only 2 mums (and babies) there. So I got caught in the middle of the age old weaning conversation between the mum of a 5 1/2 month old and the mum of a 6 month old. The first mum was very concerned as her daughter had been eating a whole ice cube for the past week for every meal. And this morning she didn’t eat so much as a teaspoon. Mum number 2 gave a fascinating expose about the timing of meals and how to fit naps and milk around that. Apparently I’m failing as a mum because I don’t give lunch on the dot of 12.00. Well sometimes I might. Or it might be the dot of 1.00. Or the dot of 1.27. Well, you get the picture.

Mum number 1 was also saying that she didn’t know how much to feed her daughter. Apparently her health visitor said to feed as much as she would eat. Sounds sensible to me. But mum wasn’t happy with that. She wanted a breakdown of how many teaspoons, how many icecubes.

Sometimes the only way I know how much the Imp has actually eaten is by the contents of the next day’s nappies. Sometimes I’ve thought that he ate something in it’s entirety, only to find it hidden in a groove in the highchair or pram when cleaning up later. I do have those moments of maybe-if-my-baby-ate-my-solids-he-would-sleep-through-the-night but then I slap myself back to reality.

I like to watch the Imp playing with his food, exploring the textures and consistencies. And sometimes he even eats those things with their fabulous textures and consistencies, but the exploration is just as important as the eating – I try not to lose sight of that.

Like they say, until they’re one, it’s just for fun. What happens after they’re one is I suppose, anyone’s guess.

Stuffed Summer Squash

At the farmers markets this morning the bright sun-yellow summer squash became irresistable to me. I bought a handful, but now I regret not buying more. Regret not, as there is always next week! I made these stuffed summer squash and they are a little more-ish… for myself as much as for the Imp.

6 medium summer squash

1 medium carrot

1/2 onion

1/2 cup grated cheese

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Boil the squash and carrot for about 10 minutes until they are only slightly tender. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the middle, so the squash skins form a neat little case. Chop onion, carrot and garlic very finely. Fry them with a little oil. Add in chopped squash flesh that you have scooped out and saute a few minutes. Remove from heat and mix together with cheese and breadcrumbs. Put the squash cases onto a baking tray and spoon the mixture into the squash cases. You can sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs if you wish. Bake in medium oven about 20 minutes.

Enjoy.

Potato Parmesan Rosti

It’s the day before my Abel & Cole veg box delivery so I went through the fridge to figure out what need to be used up. A mountain of potatoes, a few carrots and a zucchini. So where to from there – ah, the humble potato rosti. As the Imp is in a serious potato craze at the moment, these are sure to meet with his approval.

Potato Parmesan Rosti

450g potatoes

1 medium zucchini

2 medium carrots

handful grated parmesan

1 small onion

olive oil

tablespoon butter

Grate zucchini, carrot, potato and squeeze excess moisture out and put into large bowl. Mix in grated parmesan. Finely chop onion and fry for a few minutes in butter and a drizzle of oil. Add to potato mixture and mix well. Spoon balls of mixture onto baking tray and slightly flatten. Bake in 200 degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn and bake a further 10 minutes. Makes about 12.

Oh, they are in the oven now and I’m counting down the minutes!