Catering to kids at the table

Satisfying children at the table often seems an impossible task. And yet, we don't know a child who can resist a dish of Pipe Rigate with tomato sauce or a first course of Sedani Rigati topped with just butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. These surefire stopgaps are helpful, of course, but it's best to accustom kids to a varied diet as soon as possible, offering them creative dishes capable of stimulating and educating their palates.

◆ A Varied Nutritious Diet

When it comes to first courses, it's best to focus on the shorter types of pasta. Longer versions, like Spaghetti, are hard to manage for very small children who are not yet expert at wielding a fork.

Kids generally tend to like tomato and tuna sauces. You can also serve pasta topped with just a little tuna spiced with some sage; this simple dish is likely to meet with approval.

When it comes to second courses, it's a good idea to get away from the traditional "slice of beef". We encourage you to vary the meat selection, offering everything from chicken breast to pork chops and veal steak, always striving to avoid boring your little diners by constantly providing new and different flavors. Changing the look and flavor of classic scaloppini by adding some lemon or vinegar can be a simple but effective solution.

It's a standard cliche the kids don't like fish. Don't limit the selection to fish with white meat. Instead of flounder and cod all the time, try introducing the kids to sea bass in salt (cutting it into thin slices and making sure you remove all the troublesome bones) or a gilthead that's simply been fried in a little oil with a sprig of rosemary and a clove of garlic (to be removed before serving).