Vegetable Mash – for both Kids and Adults

Peel and wash all the vegetables. Cut them into suitable, rough pieces.You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, but it is best to have a larger amount of potatoes, as their high starch content helps to bind the mash together.Add all the vegetables to a pot and fill with water until the vegetables are completely covered. Put the lid on.Remember not to add salt yet, as it can negatively affect the consistency of the mash. If you are making the mash for babies, avoid salt altogether as they don’t tolerate too much salt.

Set the temperature to 108ºC. When the water is boiling, turn it down to 102ºC. Cook the vegetables under cover for 20-30 minutes until they are completely tender.Drain the water from the vegetables. Return the pot to the heat and set the temperature to 90ºC so that the excess water can steam off, this will take a few minutes.Remove the vegetables from the heat and mash them, either with a potato masher, a whisk or a fork.Now the mash has reached the stage we call “raw mash”. At this point you can either continue with the recipe and finish the mash, or you can save some and put it in the fridge or freeze it to use later. The raw mash can last 6-7 days in the fridge because there is no milk added yet, which reduces the shelf life. When you want to eat the mash, just remove it from the fridge and follow the remaining steps in the recipe.

At this point, you can choose to prepare only some of the mash and save the rest in the fridge for later. You can also split the portion, making some for the baby and some for the adults. If you’re making it for babies, you can add some grated or finely chopped apple or pear to make it sweet and delicious. If it is for babies, set the temperature of the pan to 50 ºC. If it’s for adults, keep it at 90 ºC. Both 50 ºC and 90 ºC will prevent the mash from burning or boiling over, and 50 ºC will allow the mash to cool more quickly to a suitable eating-temperature for babies.Add milk and some butter or other fat to the raw mash, don’t be stingy with the butter. If the mash is for adults, flavour it with salt and pepper and perhaps nutmeg, lemon zest, parsley, parmesan cheese or whatever you like.If you want a really smooth mash, you can give it a whirl with a immersion blender.