Norah O'Donnell's best known for her political reporting. But when she had three children in 13 months, she and her husband, restaurateur Geoff Tracy, started thinking about how they could feed their babies food that was delicious and healthy—and that they could make at home. The result? A new cookbook, Baby Love, due out next week. Washingtonian.com talked to O'Donnell about how motherhood has changed her reporting, what she learned about food science, and collaborating with Tracy on paper and as a family. Here, we have two of her favorite recipes from Baby Love: a simple apple sauce for a baby and blueberry pancakes for older siblings, parents, or anyone else who loves brunch.
Perfectly Basic Apple
For children 6 months and older
Adapted from Baby Love by Norah O'Donnell and Geoff Tracy
Makes 34 ounces
5 apples, washed, peeled (optional), and each cored and cut into 12 pieces (O’Donnell says to use whatever kind of apples you like)
8 ounces water or apple juice
Put the apple pieces and the water or apple juice into a covered 4-quart pot, and turn the burner to high. Cook for approximately 8 minutes, stirring once. The apples should be tender but not mushy. Pour everything into a blender and purée until smooth. To store, pour into two ice-cube trays and allow to cool. Wrap and freeze until ready to serve.
Whole-Grain Blueberry Pancakes With Flax
For children 10 months plus
Adapted from Baby Love by Norah O'Donnell and Geoff Tracy
Makes eight 2-ounce pancakes
Make the dry pancake mix:
3 cups whole-wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Make ahead and store in an airtight container for future use.
Make the pancakes:
2 cups pancake mix (from above)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (flax meal)
2 eggs
1 pint buttermilk
½ stick unsalted butter, melted
½ cup fresh blueberries
Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees. You can also use a large cast-iron pan or a nonstick pan. Just let it preheat for a while on medium heat. Pour the pancake mix and the flaxseed into a large bowl. Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Add the buttermilk and then melted butter to the small bowl, and whisk ingredients together. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Add blueberries. Slowly whisk together just to combine wet and dry ingredients. You don’t want the mixture to be smooth. Ladle mixture (about 2 ounces per pancake) onto the griddle and cook until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
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