Chuck-it-all-in Baby and Toddler Balls! – Chicken, Carrot and Beetroot Balls for Babies and Toddlers

When I started Sidney on finger food he was pretty fussy about what he would and would not eat. While he always enjoyed the cooked food I prepared for him for spoon feeding, he wasn’t interested in plain foods to eat himself. Mainly he would just eat bread. Everything else would be dropped, piece by piece, on to the kitchen floor. He especially disliked vegetables and fruit, which would be accompanied by a curled lip and look of sheer disgust as he picked up the offending item between thumb and forefinger and tossed it over the side of the highchair.

It soon transpired that I have a little gourmet on my hands. He was happy to eat finger food as long as it was lovingly cooked by me, having blended all the ingredients into unidentifiable pieces, and arrived on his highchair table in tidy single portions (he’s not one for clutter).

My solution was balls – veg balls, chicken balls, fish balls – which have many, many benefits for a busy mum on 4 hours’ sleep.

Let me extol the virtues of balls:

• They’re quick to prepare (especially in the food processor – I soon invested in a second-hand Magimix and never looked back)
• They take no time to cook
• You can hide all sorts of healthy things inside and baby will never know
• They’re brilliant for using up leftovers
• You can make one big batch and freeze them for later

The only downside is the washing up. But then we also invested in a dishwasher.

You don’t really need a recipe for balls. I throw pretty much everything in (see below!) You just need to make sure you’ve got something to bind the mixture with (usually egg), and something to absorb the moisture from the vegetables (usually bread). After that, pretty much anything goes. If the mixture is a little loose, fry them gently and use a couple of teaspoons to ease them back into shape if they start to fall apart in the pan.

I used flour to coat these ones, but you can also coat them in breadcrumbs – just dip them first in flour, then in egg and then roll them in the breadcrumbs before frying. If you want really crunchy balls, double-dip them. You can also bake them in the oven, rather than frying, but I tried this on several occasions and Sidney (and I) much preferred the flavour of the fried versions. They also hold together better in his hands.

Babies will eat almost anything this way, but there has been the odd occasion when the ingredients have been too bland and Sidney has refused his food, especially as I don’t add salt to enhance any of the natural flavours. Chinese five-spice and garam masala spice blends have worked well for me. They give lots of flavour without heat and turn something boring into something really delicious. I use them a lot in our food, too.

One other thing – these are called balls, but mine almost always end up cubes. It’s easier to seal all the sides if you let them flatten a bit and life’s too short to worry about geometry in the kitchen.

I made these with the chicken I shredded from the carcass after cooking Labneh and Sage Roast Chicken, so they had all the additional flavour from that recipe. I literally chucked everything into these, but you can, of course, limit the ingredients to something more sophisticated. Chicken and dried apricots is a good combination, turkey with coriander and soy sauce is delicious and introduces herb flavours, salmon and frozen peas always goes down well, eggy rice with veg… the list is endless.

And remember, if your baby or toddler is feeling a bit poorly or is just off his food, make uneaten dinners into balls and freeze them for another time. There’s no need to waste a good dinner just because baby’s not in the mood. You can do the same with your dinner if you think it’s something baby would like but the textures aren’t quite right. Just keep an eye on the salt content. I usually cook without salt and add it later once I’ve removed Sidney’s portion.

Build up a selection of balls in the top draw of your freezer and whip them out for quick lunches or for days when baby just won’t eat their dinner (even though they loved it last time!). Defrost in the fridge overnight if you’re planning ahead, or on the defrost setting in the microwave if you’re in a rush, but break them open to let all the steam out before you serve them because they’ll be far too hot inside to eat straightaway.

Here’s how I made these balls. Sorry, they’re not too pretty, but they were devoured in minutes! 2 or 3 balls should be plenty for one meal.

Chicken, Carrot and Beetroot Balls

Makes about 14

leftover cooked chicken

leftover ham hock

2 carrots

2 cooked beetroot

1 celery sticks

2 slices bread

3 garlic cloves

1cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped

1 egg

1 tbsp chicken stock

dash of soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese five spice

4 chopped dried apricots

4–5 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp olive oil, for frying

Chop or grate all your ingredients into small pieces and mix together in a bowl or food processor. Younger babies may need the ingredients blended more than older babies and toddlers. It’s good for older children to have a few bits to bite into to help them get used to textures. If the mixture is a little wet, add more bread or a spoonful of flour and stir it in to absorb some of the liquid. If it’s too dry the balls won’t stick together so add a little more stock or some water, a teaspoon at a time.

Spread the flour out on a flat plate.

Scoop up balls of the mixture and form them into balls between the palms of your hands, pressing them together to firm up. Roll the balls in the flour so that the mixture is completely covered with a fine layer. Transfer to a flat plate or tray and pop in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to firm up. This will help them to keep their shape during cooking.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, carefully place the balls in the pan and cook for 4–5 minutes, turning them to make sure every side is nicely browned and the balls have some structure to them. You may need to do this in batches. Alternatively, place the balls on a baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 for 20–25 minutes until lightly browned.

Remove from the pan onto kitchen paper to absorb the oil and leave to cool enough for baby to handle. Remember the centres will stay hot. If baby is hungry, break them open and give them in pieces.

Cool the rest of the balls completely and freeze in freezer bags. Write the key ingredients on the bags and the date you made them so that you can serve different balls based on the ingredients and make sure they don’t stay in the freezer too long. They should be good for up to 3 months.