Sweet and savoury

One of the things I found myself yearning for during my week in Georgia (isn't it funny how some weeks seem to last a very long time?) was fish, so I went out and bought a couple of tuna steaks for dinner the other night. I marinated them for a few hours in some lime zest (if you use lime juice, it 'cooks' the fish), minced ginger and chilli, soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil.

Alongside, I served wilted pak choy with strips of stir-fried ginger and, a new discovery, Asian butternut squash mash.

Asian butternut squash mash for two

1 medium butternut squash
2 star anise
1/2 stick cinammon
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp light soy sauce
a splash of sesame oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel the squash and cut it into cubes (the smaller the cubes, the quicker they'll boil). Place in a saucepan of cold water with the star anise and cinammon and bring to the boil. Simmer until the squash is tender (depending on the size of the cubes this could be anywhere between 10 minutes and half an hour).

Drain and remove the anise and cinammon. Return the squash to the saucepan and, over a medium heat, mash until smooth. The squash contains quite a lot of water, so keep stirring and mashing until the water has all boiled away, otherwise you'll end up with sloppy mash.

Once you're satisfied that the texture is right, add the mirin, maple syrup, soy and sesame. Don't add them all at once, but taste as you go instead as the amount you'll need depends on how much mash you've got in the pan. Season to taste and serve.