Broccoli Puree
Broccoli is a nutritious green vegetable, which makes broccoli puree a great first food for babies.
Servings: 4 ¼ cup serves
Calories: 52kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup water 250 mls
- 1 head broccoli 230 grams
Instructions
- In a saucepan (big enough to hold the broccoli) bring the water to a boil.
- Wash your broccoli head
- Roughly cut your broccoli into florets, remove the coarse skin from the stalk, and slice the stalk (it's nutritious and delicious and shouldn't be wasted.)
- Add the broccoli to the boiling water, cover and simmer the broccoli for 8 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green and tender. You should be able to squash the broccoli with a fork.
- Drain the broccoli, reserving any liquid.
- Blend or process until a smooth texture is reached, add liquid as needed. If you are blending the broccoli while still hot, be sure your blender/processor can be vented. Hot foods should not be blended in a sealed blender (like a bullet-style blender) as the pressure can build and cause an explosion.
Notes
- Choose fresh broccoli: The head of the broccoli should feel tight and dense, there should be no yellowing of the florets and the stalk should feel firm.
- You can reinvigorate limp broccoli that is a little past its best and, remove a slice from the stem, sit the stalk in a small bowl or glass of water, and stand in the water in the fridge. The broccoli should firm up again.
- When broccoli is out of season you can absolutely use frozen broccoli. Frozen broccoli is typically snap-frozen quickly after harvest so it retains its nutrition
- If you do not have a blender, a food processor or handheld stick blender will work as well.
- Check your broccoli or set a timer while it is simmering, as once you've boiled it for too long it will lose its vibrant colour and you won't be able to get it back!
- For the most vibrant green colour, once you have drained your cooked broccoli, dump it into a bowl of iced water. (I didn't include this as a step as I don't do this every time, but it does make for an even better-coloured puree.)
- For babies do not add salt
- For adults and older children, you can turn broccoli puree into a delicious side dish for meat fish and chicken meals. Add salt, olive oil or butter and a little lemon juice.
- Freeze leftover broccoli puree in ice cube trays so that you can use it easily in future meals and recipes.
- Store your broccoli puree in a clean airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to four months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 480mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 947IU | Vitamin C: 136mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg