Cooking from scratch- cheaper and no additives

When my son was 2 years old I popped back to the UK for a quick visit. I was astounded as I watched  young mothers filling up thier trollies with jars of baby food. It was evident that the meals for the week had been sorted with one quick shop. Jars of baby food in Spain were fairly expensive and I used them as a back up if I was out for the day. It was considered the norm to prepare and freeze baby food in the home and I found the Spanish health service were fairly good at providing information on what foods baby could eat at which age group.

There are now a number of books and web pages that have wonderful simple recipes that you can cook for and with your children. I am not a good cook by any means but I love cooking with my children and together we learn and have quite a few laughs. My daughter loves her Barbie cook book which again encourages her to follow basic instructions, while her dolls are arranged along the kitchen table all ready to help.

My sister in law is a wonderful cook and in true tradition she has passed on her recipes to her siblings and their wives and now their children. This is one of my favourites- Puchero. Obviously there are many variation to this recepie but this one works for me.

In Mercadona, we can find pre-prepared pack of bones or bones plus meat called "preparado para cocido", however, most butchers or meat counters will have these ingredients in some form or another. I think Supersol have them in trays behind the butcher and they are usualy very helpful. Mercadona and Lidls do a "preparado para cocido" mixed vegetable pack as well.

Ingredients
Chickpeas ( Gabanzos)
Bones and fats
Meats - various but usually include a leg of chicken and a small piece of  pork.A special treat would be jamon
Vegetables - ie 3/4 carrots, a turnip, pasnip, celery.
Fresh mint - (Hierba buena)
Rice or noodles ( Fideos)

Instructions
The night before soak three handfuls of chickpeas in plain water. Try and change this water every so often.
Heating a large saucepan ( pressure cooker size).
Wash the bones and fats to get rid of some of the salt and pop them in the heated water.
Take the skin and any fatty bits off the meat and put them in the pan.
As the water comes to boil skim off the fats ( brown/beige foam that forms at the top of the pan).
Peel and add the vegetables. You can add more vegetables if you wish but it is hard to freeze with potatoes in and I have never used onions or potatoes in mine
Add the spearmint and leave to simmer for at least an hour. It is a gorgeous smell and I I often leave mine on a slow heat throughout the morning.

Before serving take a separate pan of the "stock" liquid and use to boil rice or fine noodles.

The Spanish usually serve the rice or noodles with a couple of spoons of liquid and after cut pieces of meat along with the fat which they call Pringà as a separate course. I find the fats too much for me and cut the meat rice and stock in one plate, but then I am British.

Without the Rice or noodles this can be frozen and the liquid used for stock. Meats can also be used in croquetas