My daughter loves risotto and so do I. I?ve tried Little dish just so that I know what my alternatives are when it happens that we don?t have home cooked meal ? though our freezer is always full. I couldn?t believe my daughters reactions. She made face like I am feeding her sour milk and even started bringing food up her stomach in order to vomit it out - so bad it was.
I tried it and it is in fact bad! They are right when they say nothing added but natural food but unfortunately ingredients that they use are of very poor quality. For many people who never had home grown food that can never become an issue simply because they can?t taste a difference. My husband is one of those. To make a point I cooked a simple risotto with just water, chicken, wholegrain rice and peas. Nothing else added and my daughter ate full cup no complains.
So what?s wrong with little dish? Well, it goes like this. Do you know Waitrose supermarkets? They are a perfect example of bad and good quality food. I dare you to try an experiment. Cook home made chicken stock. Do that by boiling 4 main ingredients. Chicken, onion, carrot and tomato. Only in one pot you put Waitrose essential veggies and into the other pot put organic or perfectly ripe range veggies and free range or organic chicken. Boil gently on minimum heat for 1 and a half hour. Add salt as well in both pots. End result might surprise you!
The lower the quality of ingredients, the lower is quality of food! Little dishes are tasteless and quit frankly disgusting. Your children deserve better!
This is how good home made risotto should be prepared:
Chicken stock
Free range tights with bone 500g
1 big tomato (Jack Hawkins, plum, cherry, vine etc are all good as long as nicely ripe)
1 big golden onion
3 large organic carrots (carrots give sweetness and nice taste to the soup so its very important you use tasty organic ones
Salt
Parsley
Celery (optional)
Remove skin from chicken tights and cut meat from the bone. Save meat, put bones with veggies and salt into pot, cover with water and simmer for an hour and a half. Mean while cut meat into chunks, chop one onion, bit of garlic and fry all together. After chicken stock is cooked, sieve into pot and add cup of rice. Cook. Half way through add chicken, chopped basil and peas (fresh if you plan to freeze food otherwise frozen are ok.) If you prefer red risotto you can add can of organic plum tomato pulp. Other wise you are all done.
I know this takes time. That?s why you should consider freezing food for you child. If you don?t have time to cook as much this is the only way your child will get to eat good natural food.
Buon apetit!