Paraguayan cheesy cornbread (Sopa paraguaya)

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C and butter a baking tin of about 20×30 cm.

2. Finely chop the onions and cook slowly in half the butter for 10 minutes until soft and sweet; leave to cool slightly.

3. In a bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, add the remaining melted butter, milk, cooked onion, crumbled fresh cheese (queso fresco – a mix of feta and ricotta can stand in) and salt.

4. Gradually add the polenta (cornmeal) and stir until smooth; leave for 10 minutes to hydrate – the batter should be thick but pourable.

5. Pour into the tin, smooth the top and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm with roast meat or soup.

Tip: Sopa paraguaya is the world's only "solid soup": legend has it that a cook added too much cornmeal to President López's soup and baked it – the mistake became a national dish.