Name: Peach Puree (Passato di Pesche)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 ripe peaches; A splash of water, only if cooking

Ingredients

2 ripe peaches
A splash of water, only if cooking

Method

Score a small cross in the base of each peach, lower into a pan of boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then plunge into cold water. The skin will have loosened and slips off easily.
Peel away the skin, then halve the peach and remove the stone.
If the peaches are very ripe and soft, the flesh can be blended raw. If firmer or less ripe, simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until soft.
Blend to a smooth puree; a ripe peach is juicy enough that little or no added liquid is needed.
Serve at room temperature or lightly warmed.

Age adaptations

6 months

Offer a very smooth, single-ingredient puree, loosened with a little cooled water only if needed so it runs slowly off the spoon. Start with a teaspoon once a day and follow your baby's pace. Begin only once your baby shows clear readiness signs (good head and neck control, able to sit with support, showing interest in food, and no longer pushing food out with the tongue). Introduce one new food at a time, a few days apart, so any reaction is easy to spot.

6-8 months

Blend completely smooth. Cook briefly first unless the peaches are extremely ripe and soft, and check the skin has been fully removed.

9-12 months

Offer as a soft mash, or peeled ripe peach cut into thin wedges, not rounds, for supervised self-feeding, flesh soft enough to squash easily between two fingers.

12+ months

Offer peeled, stoned peach cut into soft slices or small soft chunks as part of a mixed fruit plate.

Storage

Fridge for 2 days in a sealed container; fruit purees oxidise and lose freshness quickly. Freeze up to 3 months in small portions; texture may soften further, stir well after thawing.

For the family

Fold the extra puree into porridge or yoghurt for the grown-ups (family portion only, not a baby drink), or spoon it over a dessert in place of added sugar.

Safety notes

Always remove the skin and the stone before serving; the skin can be tough for a baby to manage and the stone is a choking hazard. Raw peach offered to older babies must be cut into wedges, never round slices, with flesh soft enough to squash between two fingers. Serve seated upright at the table, actively supervised and free of distractions; remember that safe preparation, not supervision, is the primary safeguard. Complementary feeding begins at 6 months, the age recommended by Italian (Ministero della Salute, SIP) and WHO guidance. Start only when your baby is showing clear readiness signs, following official Italian guidance.

Peach Puree (Passato di Pesche)