Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Lasagna with roasted Pine Nuts

Ingredients

• 50g/2oz parmesan 
• 50g/2oz cheddar cheese
• one largish butternut squash and 3 large sweet potatoes
• pinch salt
• 12 lasagne sheets (or enough to make two layers) 75g/3oz 
• baby spinach leaves
• 100g/3½oz toasted pine nuts 
• 8 large slices of aubergine

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. Put the kettle on to boil for the vegetables.
3. Meanwhile, finely grate the parmesan. Grate the cheddar cheese
4. Peel and chop the butternut squash and sweet potatoes into roughly 1in cubes, cook in boiling water for 15-20 minutes until tender.
5. When cooked drain away all the water and mash adding a dessert of butter and salt and pepper to taste
6. Now assemble the lasagna in a baking dish, set on a baking tray. Spread a third of the vegetable mash in the base of a greased lasagna dish. Flatten down and add a layer of spinach followed by a half of the cheese, and a third of the pine nuts. Next, add another layer of the mash, spinach, and this time add the 8 slices of aubergine on top followed by the rest of the cheese and lastly pine nuts. Grate on more parmesan is necessary.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked all the way through. I cooked the lasagna covered in foil for 30 minutes and then took it off towards the end to let it brown. 
8. When the lasagne is ready, the pasta will feel tender when pierced through with a knife and the top will be crisp and golden-brown.

Steak Milanesa a la Christy

On my last night here in Guatemala I learnt a new Guatemalan recipe, and one which will finally keep some meat eaters happy, thanks to Christy Navidad, my chapin cooking teacher.

Serves four

4 slices of beef steak
one cup of bread crumbs (can be bought ready made called 'miga')
one egg
2-3 tablespoons of oil

1.Place the egg in a shallow bowl and beat thoroughly
2.Place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl
3. Take the pieces of steak one at a time and place on a chopping board. Using a heavy utensil (we used the other end of a spatula but it has to have some weight) beat the steak all over to flatten it down, this makes the meat tender when eating
4. Once flattened, place the steak in the egg bowl covering the steak with egg, turn over and do the same. Let drain for a few seconds and then do the same in the bread bowl making sure the whole piece is covered with bread crumbs. Repeat with the rest of the steak slices
5. Heat up about a tbs of oil in a large frying pan and add as many steak slices that will fit. They will take around 3-4 minutes on each side and are cooked when the bread crumbs have turned a dark golden brown. Make sure there is enough oil in the pan before cooking more steak so that the pieces don't stick to the pan.

Upon serving I was told they were good enough and therefore was now ready to get married. It's good to know four years here in Guatemala was not a complete waste of time.

This dish goes perfectly well with rice, black beans and the chile coban chirmol previously featured.

Healthy Guatemalan Cucumber, Radish and Mint Salad.

Ingredients

One bunch of ‘rabano’ (radishes)

One onion

One cucumber

A quetzal of ‘yerba buena’ (mint)

One lime

1.    If you are trying to avoid getting ‘amibas’ (a kind of parasite commonly contracted by eating unclean fruit and vegetables) place the radishes and the bunch of ‘yerba buena’ in a bowl with vegetable disinfectant following the instructions indicated. Alternatively if you a looking for a fast-track diet skip this first step and add pupusas with extra ‘repollo’ from parque central to your diet to loose a stone in over a matter of days (not recommended).

2.    Peel the onion, cut in half and thinly slice. Place in a large bowl and squeeze half a lime juice over the onion to soften the taste

3.    Peel the cucumber, thinly slice into rounds and add to the onion and lime

4.    Take the clean radishes and thinly slice into rounds and add to the rest of the ingredients

5.    Using around half of the bunch of mint, take the leaves off the stalks, chop finely and add to the rest of the salad

6.    Squeeze the rest of limejuice over the salad and mix well, add a generous pinch or two of salt and leave to rest until ready to serve.