• Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water until soft but not falling apart when you prod them with a fork. (20 minutes approx.). Drain and set aside to cool.
• Sauté the mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Set aside.
• Put the spinach in a colander and pour boiling water over to blanch it. Press the water out then tip into a frying pan with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with 1/3 tsp each of salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. Fry for about 10 minutes at medium heat until the water has evaporated. Set aside.
• Heat your oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Halve the squash down the centre and place on the parchment. Brush with 2 tbsp olive oil
• Bake for 45 minutes until soft. Leave the oven on if you are making the minina immediately. When cool enough to handle, discard the seeds and remove the skin with a knife. Cut into 2cm pieces.
• To assemble: in a loaf tin or 25 X 10cm rectangular dish layer up squash, spinach, mushrooms and pour the egg and potato mixture on top.
• Cook at 180°C for 30 minutes.
• To serve: cool for 10 minutes or so and then carefulliy turn out onto a plate then invert onto a second plate so it sits the way it was cooked.
  Variations: 

For the salmon minina:

• Heat oven to 180°C fan and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the salmon on the tray. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until just cooked through. Leave to cool, remove any skin and cut into chunks of about 2 cm.
• To assemble: Follow the method above for the butternut variation substituting butternut with salmon.

For a chicken minina:

• Follow the butternut recipe above, replacing the butternut with cooked chicken.

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First published in The JC April 26 2024