Pittsburgh Post-Gazette--All recipes from the Baby Bistro Cookbook, by Joohee Muromcew
Cheddar Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Author Joohee Muromcew writes that she feels "very June Cleaver when I make this homey, old-fashioned dinner. Substitute peas, spinach or any green vegetable for the broccoli."
Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice
1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
3/4 cup finely chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1/2 breast)
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, bring the rice and broth to a boil over high heat and continue boiling, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer for five minutes. Stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for five minutes or until the rice is tender but still quite wet. Stir in the chicken and cheese. The cheese will melt into the excess liquid.
Serve as is or puree in a blender or food processor to a consistency appropriate for your child.
Makes about 3 cups.
* Note: You can freeze this dish in an ice-cube tray or in small freezer-safe storage containers. The texture of the rice will be slightly gummy upon defrosting, but it's easily fixed with a pat of butter or a splash of milk.
Banana Bars
The key to these sweet, though low-sugar, bar cookies is an abundance of ripe bananas, beat until almost pureed.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch-square baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt until blended.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the bananas until they are nearly pureed. Beat in the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until blended. The batter will be rather stiff.
Evenly spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares.
Makes about 3 dozen.
Pumpkin Ravioli
Muromcew liked the idea of those fresh ravioli at the supermarket, but "they often seem filled with such ambiguous ingredients. This mildly seasoned filling makes for an unexpected, though delicious, ravioli that needs no sauce. You can call it pumpkin pie in pasta."
Ingredients:
14-oz/ can pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling)
1 Tbs. maple syrup
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. mild curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
25 wonton wrappers
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin, syrup, cinnamon, curry powder and ginger until blended. Fill a small bowl with water.
To assemble the ravioli, place one teaspoon of the filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and wet the edges of the wrapper. Bring the edges of the wrapper together, sealing it firmly with your fingers and gently pressing out any air bubbles. This will go much faster than it sounds. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
In a large saucepan, bring about three inches of water to a boil over high heat. In batches, boil no more than six ravioli at a time for two to three minutes or until they float to the top, the wrappers are translucent and the edges tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve.
Note: These will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week but will not freeze very well. Cooked ravioli only needs 1 minute in boiling water to reheat.
