Grilled cactus paddles with panela cheese (Nopales asados con panela)

1. Clean the nopales (cactus paddles) of spines with the edge of a knife, trim all round the edges and score the paddles in a few places, fanning out from the base. If you have no nopales, thick green beans work too – grill them whole.

2. Brush the paddles with oil and salt them.

3. Cook in a hot griddle pan for 4-5 minutes per side, until softened, their colour darkened to olive green and their slimy juice evaporated.

4. Cut the panela cheese into 1 cm thick slices and grill in the pan without oil for 1-2 minutes per side, until golden stripes appear. If you have no panela, halloumi is a perfect substitute.

5. Thinly slice the red onion and serrano and mix with the lime juice and a pinch of salt.

6. Arrange the nopales with the grilled cheese on a platter, spoon over the onion-chili mix and serve warm.

Tip: The nopales are right once you've fully "cooked out" their slimy juice – if they're still slippery, give them a few more minutes in the pan.