Little Dish’s Salmon & Pesto

I was very kindly sent this baby- / child-friendly recipe book some time ago now, when my little one was beginning to move on from ‘mush’ to real food.

The book contains several weaning recipes, including purees, then moves to meals which can be easily mashed, and on to quick and simple family meals.  Many of them I already make and have my own recipes for, such as baked fish, lasagne or burgers, but there are a few new combinations that I thought I’d give a go. My first effort was Salmon and Pesto. I’d have never thought to put pesto with salmon, choosing instead to stir into pasta or maybe add to a white fish, so was intrigued as to how this would turn out. My little one is now much preferring to eat with her hands and attempt to use a fork, and has given up completely on ‘mush’, even though it’s sometimes so much simpler and faster from my point of view! And I’m struggling to find quick and tasty meals to make for her that differ from pasta, ham and cream cheese, so this seemed like a good place to start.
The book said that preparation time was 5 minutes and cooking time 15, and those were about right, especially if you’ve got your breadcrumbs made in advance. You can find the actual recipe here or use my paraphrased version.
You’ll need:

4x125g salmon fillets
145g tub fresh basil pesto (I used it from a jar as I couldn’t find fresh)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
40g fresh breadcrumbs

General Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
After checking the salmon carefully for bones, lay skin side down on a baking dish.
Mix the pesto, bread crumbs and lemon juice and spread over the salmon.

Bake for around 15 mins, or until the salmon is cooked through.

I served it with rice with peppers and raisins for Frankie, and added toasted nuts to the rice for the grown ups.

As you can see, she was a hungry little bird today and obviously very much enjoyed it, as did we. This recipe is so quick and easy I’ll definitely be making it again!

Chicken Wrap–of mixed heritage!

I sometimes crave a kebab. And just love a chicken tikka starter at the Indian, especially with the mint sauce and wrapped in a chapatti. So I decided to make my own version one evening, although, as expressed in the title, mine has several cultural influences. The wrap could be Mexican or Moroccan; the chicken is seasoned in an Indian tikka marinade; served with a Mediterranean salad; add a Greek tzatziki dip and very British mint sauce. Sounds like phaff? Think again, one of the quickest and easiest meals you'll ever make. And you can choose whether to make each component part or cheat and buy them, as I did!

You’ll need:

chicken (the best quality you can afford)

natural yoghurt / crème fraiche / cream

tikka marinade dry powder

flatbread

salad leaves

chopped cherry tomatoes, onion and pepper

mint sauce

tzatziki

lime juice

Method:

First, chop the chicken breast into pieces, marinate in yoghurt / cream and the tikka seasoning, then fry off.

Meanwhile, pop the flatbread on a plate, sprinkle with leaves, chopped cherry tomatoes, onion and pepper slices.

Once the chicken is cooked, place on top and spoon mint sauce and tzatziki on top. Squeeze fresh lime over, roll, and eat.

I promise, you'll want another once you've finished it, so I suggest making two to begin with!