Mangú

Step 1: Toss 2 red onions with ¼ cup white or apple cider vinegar and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl and leave them while you cook the plantains; they turn bright pink.

Step 2: Peel 4 green plantains, cut each into 4 pieces and put them in a pan with cold water to cover and 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat for 20–25 minutes, until a knife slides in as easily as into a boiled potato.

Step 3: Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the onions with their vinegar and cook for 3–4 minutes, until just soft and glossy but still pink. Keep warm.

Step 4: Drain the plantains and mash at once while very hot, with 1 ⅜ oz butter, adding ½ cup cold water a little at a time until smooth and soft like mashed potato. A common mistake is letting the plantains cool before mashing: they stiffen and turn lumpy and gluey.

Step 5: If serving with cheese and eggs, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 7 oz frying cheese (queso de freír or halloumi) for 1–2 minutes a side until crusty and golden, then fry 4 eggs until the whites are set and the edges lacy.

Step 6: Spoon the mangú onto plates, pile the vinegar onions on top and serve hot with the fried cheese and eggs alongside.