Name: Apricot Puree (Passato di Albicocche)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 ripe apricots; A splash of water, only if cooking or if the puree needs loosening

Ingredients

4 ripe apricots
A splash of water, only if cooking or if the puree needs loosening

Method

Score a small cross in the base of each apricot, lower into a pan of boiling water for 20-30 seconds, then plunge into cold water. The skin will have loosened and slips off easily.
Peel away the skin, then halve the apricot and remove the stone.
If the apricots are very ripe and soft, the flesh can be blended raw. If firmer or tart, simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until soft, this also mellows a sharper apricot's sourness.
Blend to a smooth puree, adding a splash of water only if it needs loosening.
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 apricots are extremely ripe and soft, and check the skin has been fully removed.

9-12 months

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

12+ months

Offer peeled, stoned apricot 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 stir it through a marinade for grilled meat.

Safety notes

Always remove the skin and the stone before serving; the stone is a choking hazard and, along with the leaves, contains compounds that make it unsafe to eat. Raw apricot 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.

Apricot Puree (Passato di Albicocche)