Editor's May Pick #2: San Choy Bow

Editor's note: Coming up on Summer fast, I'm trying to cut down on the winter comfort foods and this recipe is a great idea. Full on flavour and substituting the carbs for veggies. If you're like me and impulsively change your mind at the last minute, this will absolutely go well with a side of noodles! I still am yet to hunt down the Shaoxing but am excited to try. For those of us who don't partake, Oumph! do a good line of frozen fake meats that go well in stir fries if you're all Quorned out.

Now back to reality and more ideas …

… for your multitasking working week suppers.

How about choosing roast pork for your Sunday roast? It would be perfect for my next idea – ideally choose a roast that's big enough to give you 500g of leftover pork.

A stir fry makes the best and quickest use of your leftover roast so you'll need a wok!

San Choy Bow is Chinese and here's my useless bit of information - “sang choi” means lettuce in Cantonese.

Here goes :

San Choy Bow

Little Gem lettuce cups

(if Little Gem not available use Iceberg -

smaller inner leaves) – I would say 3 per person

depending on size of appetites

500g/1lb2oz leftover roast pork, shredded

1 garlic clove or garlic paste

1 red chilli, finely chopped

150g/5oz chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped

6 spring onions, finely chopped

225g/8oz water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped

200g/7oz bean sprouts, chopped

Glug of rapeseed oil

3 tbsp hoisin sauce*

1 tbsp soy sauce*

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce*

1 tbsp dry sherry or Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine)*

Wash your lettuce, pat dry ready to serve.

Combine the four ingredients marked * to make a sauce – this can be made ahead.

Over a high heat add the oil to your wok and cook the garlic and chilli for a minute. Add the mushrooms, onions, water chestnuts and bean sprouts until mixed through and sizzling followed by the shredded pork – 2/3 minutes.

Add the sauce mixture, stirring and sizzling until completely combined for a final 2/3 minutes.

There's more!

Editor's April Pick #8: Asian Spiced Salmon

Editor's note: I am extremely privileged and honoured to have sampled this recipe, and do brag about that given the chance - for those who aren't so lucky I implore you to try the Asian spiced salmon. Now more than ever, the post title rings true as some of us in limbo - "Mostly working from home" - to  "Why was I dragged into an office, it could have been an email" - this is a fantastic, tasty and above all fast idea for an evening meal!

Fast food for the working week …

Here are three ideas for your protein choice. First is a recipe I've used gazillions of times – it's just as good hot or cold.

Asian Spiced Salmon

Serves 2

2 x 4oz Salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp powdered star anise or one star anise

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Mix together the marinade and - using an ovenproof dish – pour it over the salmon fillets, turning to coat thoroughly, cover and leave in fridge for an hour or so.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

If you're using whole star anise then remove before serving. The salmon has a charred look when cooked which is aromatic and delicious with the raw slaw and particularly with the pomegranate dressing.

For a chicken option :

Miso Maple Glazed Chicken

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts

1 tbsp baking powder*

4 fl oz/½ cup maple syrup*

2 fl oz/¼ cup white miso paste*

Mix * together, add the chicken breasts and

marinate for 24 hrs

Sprinkle with chopped spring onions

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180 fan/200c/Gas 6

for 35 minutes

Takes no time at all and, if you marinate the chicken in a foil tray, it can go straight from the fridge, into the oven – no washing up!

Now for the vegetarian option – that old faithful halloumi – cubed, coated in a seasoning and sealed in a drop of rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan. I know I've mentioned this recipe recently but it is excellent and tasty with the slaw together with a dressing of your choice!

250g Halloumi cheese

50g plain flour

1 tbsp seasoning of your choice

check out Halloumi Seasonings and dips to

go with 3^rd March 2018 or a ready made option!

Definitely food for thought!

Editor's March Pick #6: Spicy corned beef, potato and onion pasty

I've recently discovered a hot sauce that is just perfect on the heat spectrum for my preferences, and reading through the ingredients I was surprised that they line up almost perfectly with this particular editor's pick. I wouldn't consider myself someone who seeks out hot foods like they're the be all and end all but I do enjoy some spice in my food. Read on for a great idea for something a little bit different - and if you're like me then there's all sorts of meatless substitutes you can use from the plant based aisles instead of the corned beef - the star here is definitely the spices. Second to the pastry of course!

Comfort food again!

It occurs to me that I should include a favourite and an alternative for those who like their meat. Here's another pasty variation - again tried and tested.

Spicy corned beef, potato and onion pasty

3 medium jacket potatoes – baked, cooled, peeled and cubed

and set aside in large mixing bowl

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 garlic clove finely chopped (or 1 tsp of garlic paste)

1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and curry

powder (strength to suit your personal taste)

salt and black pepper

1 x 340g tin corned beef – *see below

2 puff pastry sheets – **see below

1 egg, beaten

Corned beef

*Tip time – make sure that your tin of corned beef has been placed in the fridge before use. It will not be a pretty sight if you use it straight from your store cupboard or pantry.

Divide your corned beef into 5 thick slices – approximately 1.5cms each. Cut each slice into 4 and then into 4 again – a total of 16 cubes per slice.

Each pastry sheet, unrolled, measures approximately 38cms. Keeping the pastry on its paper wrapping, cut the sheet in half - 19cms approximately. Each half measures 22cms approximately – divide each half into quarters measuring 11cms each.

Using a medium sized frying pan fry the onion and garlic gently for 2/3 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and curry powder and continue to fry so that the spices release their flavour.

Season the cubed potatoes with salt and black pepper, add the onions, garlic and spices and then add the corned beef cubes, mix together gently.

Pre-heat oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6

Egg wash the edges of the pastry pieces. Place a heaped tablespoon of mixture towards the left side of each piece of pastry then fold over and press edges down gently to seal and complete the pasty. Brush with beaten egg.

Bake for 25 minutes.

**The recipe gives you 8 pasties, hence 2 puff pastry sheets. You could use 1 sheet – 4 pasties and use the remaining mixture as a corned beef hash – posh it up – use a ring to serve the hash and top with an egg – cooked however you prefer, poached is perfect but fried if that's your bag!

I do love a flexible recipe.

Editor's March Pick #3: Lip Smackingly Good (LSG) Sauces

 Editor's note: You can't beat a good sauce. Doubly so if that sauce is a make-it-yourself take on a classic - chip shop curry sauce! I get pangs for the chippy but these days the good ones are hard to find in some places, and even then only open every second Monday after Whitsun. What could be better than taking a bit of time having a go at this and adding it to one of your staples - chicken, fish or pork. Should take care of the takeaway cravings and guaranteed to impress!

Lip Smackingly Good (LSG) Sauces

Before we carry on with the remaining working week suppers I think the time is right for two more LSG sauces.

I do love a useful sauce, especially one that can be used in different ways. The following is a curry sauce – in particular meant to resemble what I'd call a “chip shop curry”. To explain, the chip shop curry is not as strong as traditional curries. For those who eat curries, to give you an idea of “heat” and “spice” I'd say it's not as hot and spicy as a rendang and not as mild as a korma, so middle for diddle, suitable for everyone.

Here's the recipe :

Curry Sauce

50g unsalted butter

2 large onions, finely sliced and chopped

1 tsp of ginger paste

4 roasted garlic cloves

3 tbsp mild curry powder

3 tbsp malt vinegar

½ tsp star anise powder

500ml of the slow cooked star anise chicken stock

2 tbsp slaked cornflour

2 tbsp lemon juice

160ml coconut cream

Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until soft – about 15 minutes, make sure there's no colour. Add the curry powder, star anise powder and vinegar, fry for another minute. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes, stir occasionally, you don't want it to stick.

Add two tbsp of water to the cornflour, mix and pour into the sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stir until you've got a silky, thickened sauce. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, add the lemon juice.

At this point, decant into boxes. You will get approximately 630g of curry sauce and I divided between two. I froze one box and fridged the other.

I was using one for this evenings meal.

Hold that thought ...

Editor's January Pick #18: The dressing to go with the chicken salad (or whatever you fancy!)

Editor's note: I've been on a "fly by the seat of my pants" cooking phase at the moment so stumbling on little recipes like this one are a joy - better still stop me wandering aimlessly around the supermarket wondering where they've moved everything to this week. An extra bonus, if it ever goes terribly wrong I don't have to tell anyone so win-win! Fantastic flavours that go with chickpeas as well as chicken.

The dressing … to go with the chicken salad

Who would have thought you'd be drizzling a quintessential Italian combination of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar – a marriage we already know is made in heaven – with another Indian classic – tandoori chicken tikka.

The dressing

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1½ tbsps balsamic vinegar

1½ tsps brown sugar

¼ tsp coarse black pepper

¼ tsp cumin powder

pinch of salt

Whilst the chicken is cooking, with a whisk mix together all the dressing ingredients and leave to one side.

A few thoughts so far :

I'd wear gloves when you coat the chicken – turmeric and chilli will stain your hands as well as equipment.

Make sure your “oven tray” has sides – unless you have a burning desire to clean your oven!

I used soft dark muscovado sugar in the dressing.

I marinaded the chicken from 11am – 7.30pm. It's very important that you cover the chicken marinade and keep it in a cold place. If you keep it in your fridge then bear in mind it's raw chicken and as such should be kept on the bottom shelf and more importantly that it is kept away from cooked food.

When the chicken is cooked I know you'll want to taste it – cook's privilege after all – a lot depends on your palate and that of your guests but tasted on its own you may find it a tad hot. I'd suggest that before you rush to judgement wait until you've assembled and tasted the completed salad.

A word about the “heat” of the spices. Remember recipes are meant to be a guide they are not set in stone. If you find the spices too powerful don't let it put you off – try reducing the green chilli paste, turmeric and red chilli powder from 1½ tsps to 1 tsp each.

It's personal taste after all – it's whatever suits you.

Editor's January Pick #14: Kofta canapés, meatballs and burgers

Editor's note: Now you've read the rules, time to expand on them if you so wish! It didn't feel right to bring up the recipe without showing off the accompanying photo-guide. And, possibly more importantly, the idea of using the recipe for other dishes, like a burger. Same deal, same process, just a different shape and how you zhuzh it up. 

Kofta canapés, meatballs and burgers …

… the photo guide

Use a foil tray with 2 tbsp plain flour – it enables you to roll around the koftas to coat with flour without having to “assist” them.

If you would prefer a larger version then use a dessert spoon of mixture, treated in exactly the same way, like these :

Finally, if you're in the mood for a burger – but one with Indian flavours, have a look at these :

These burgers are 110g or 4oz in old money.

Editor's January Pick #13: Kofta canapés

Editor's note: Now this selection was originally posted along with the onion salad from last week (editor's further note - this was everything I wanted from a side dish when I made it earlier on!) - some people are huge fans of lamb so felt it only fair to bring this one to the forefront. It's a great way to use minced lamb and a kick too with the spices - read on!

Kofta canapés

How about a kofta for a canapé – these Indian meatballs are a real hit. As you'd expect from me they can be made ahead and frozen. Easy to spear on a cocktail fork or a cocktail stick. Serve with small bowls of sweet chilli sauce or raita or mango chutney or all three.

Kofta canapés

makes 25/30 ish

500g of minced lamb

*salt and black pepper

*2 cloves of garlic, crushed or 2 tsps of paste

*1 tsp of ground cumin

*1 tsp of ground coriander

*pinch of garam masala

*pinch of chilli powder

1 heaped tbsp of tomato paste

1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

kitchen gloves or damp hands

Rapeseed oil for shallow frying

a foil tray 23cms x 23cms

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the ingredients marked * and mix well. Add the tomato paste and the egg and combine. If you find the mixture too wet, then sprinkle a little plain flour into the mixture and fold in gently.

Using either gloves or damp hands your mixture should aim to be the size of a walnut (or 1 heaped teaspoon). Roll the mixture between your hands and when you've 8 or so heat the oil in a large frying pan. Seal the koftas on a low heat and carefully shake the pan to turn them – use tongs if you are accident prone!

At this stage you can continue to cook the koftas in the pan or you can transfer to an oven-proof dish and pop into a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

Alternatively let the koftas cool once sealed, transfer to freezer bags and freeze until required. Defrost and then place in a foil tray and warm in a pre-heated oven as above for 15 minutes.

Easy peasy and really tasty – photo guide next.

Editor's January Pick #10: Onion Salad Side

Editor's note: This recipe is a sure fire winner. Also, I feel like I've been taken to one side and been told a trade secret when it winds up tasting just as good as the stuff they serve you in a restaurant. Annoyingly enough they usually take it away when they bring your main – surely it's to be eaten “across the board”, so why take it away?!

It's so moreish – provided of course you like onions!

Have you ever wondered how they make the “onion salad” served with the poppadoms? I know that it varies from restaurant to restaurant but, many moons ago I was given a recipe which, to this day I've never committed to paper. It has to be said that it's quite hot and obviously you have to like onion.

Here goes :

2 medium onions, finely chopped -

weight 150g per onion approximately

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp tomato paste

pinch of chill powder

Place the onions in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Place the salad in sealed airtight containers and store in a cool place.

The secret to this salad is that you should not serve it for at least a day, preferably two after making it. It's important that the orange and lemon juice and the tomato paste are allowed to “mature” - leaving it to infuse takes away any harshness from the onion and the tomato paste.

This is a perfect accompaniment for the koftas but is equally as good with any curry.

Here it is :

If you are a lover of all things spicy then this onion salad is excellent with cold meats or, best of all, with a strong mature cheddar cheese.

Editor's December Pick #13 - Post Holiday Blues

I don't know about everyone else but by the time Christmas rolls around I am soup-ed out. I've had my fill of casseroles and the like and I'm usually craving something with some spice to it. Luckily as I was browsing MiamMiam I came across this post that covers just that scenario, so if you're in the same boat, have a read for something a bit different over the festive period!

Post holiday blues …

… feeling gloomy after all the festivities – time for some simple stuff I think!

Indian cuisine is fantastic – each region specialising in its own style – for me the vegetarian food is definitely up there in my top five.

I'll stop waffling – here's my New Year gift to you – basically a creamy chicken curry :

I first came across a version of this recipe years ago by Madhur Jaffrey, here's mine :

Malai wali murghi

(aka MWM)

1.35kg/3lb chicken fillet, diced

*1½ tsp salt

*2 tsps cumin

*2 tsps coriander

*½ tsp turmeric

*½ tsp cayenne pepper

ground black pepper

6/7 garlic cloves or equivalent paste

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled

and chopped finely or equivalent paste

300ml water

6 tbsp vegetable oil

110g onion, chopped finely

175g passata

1 tsp garam masala

200ml double cream (heavy USA)

If you are using raw garlic and ginger then blitz them in a blender, add a drop or two of the water and blend until smooth. Alternatively mix both the garlic and ginger pastes together.

Mix the spices marked * above.

Using a large frying pan add the vegetable oil and heat. Seal the diced chicken on both sides and set aside.

Fry the onion for 2/3 minutes and add black pepper. Add the garlic and ginger paste then the spices and fry for 2/3 minutes. Mix the passata with the remaining water and add to the mixture. Add the sealed chicken fillet, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

To complete the dish add the garam masala and the double cream and mix.

What to cook in hot weather – the curry choices

Before I begin a small tip you may find helpful. I have this habit of re-visiting a menu plan the following day, which again might sound strange, sometimes I miss an element or there'll be an element that doesn't quite fit. In this case I didn't make any tweaks at all so I'm good to go.

I chose Butter Chicken because quite simply it's very popular and always seems to disappear. The Rendang choice is personal to me because I'm a huge fan of sweet and sour flavours. Rendang is Indonesian in origin although it has spread to Malaysia, among other countries in Southeast Asia. It's perfect to put with veggies.

It might seem pointless talking about the intense heat and what to cook after the event but I have a feeling that it will not be the last time we experience it and it's good to have an idea or two in reserve or, you might just fancy a curry in the summer.

There are heaps of Butter Chicken recipes out there – the one I use comes from my favourite Indian cookery book Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery – there was a television series too. I can't believe it's 39 years old!

Here it is :

Chicken in a butter sauce

Makkhani murghi

The sauce in this dish should be folded into butter at the very last minute as it tends to separate otherwise. However, you can combine all the ingredients except the butter up to a day ahead of time and refrigerate them until they are needed.

This is a wonderfully simple but spectacular sauce to which you add chicken.

Serves 4-6

4 tbsp of tomato purée

water to mix

1” (2.5cms) cube of fresh ginger, peeled

and grated very finely to a pulp

½ pint (275ml) single cream

1 tsp garam masala

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp sugar

1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp very finely chopped fresh green coriander

4 tsps lemon juice

1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds

4oz (110g) unsalted butter

Coming up – the method and your chicken choices continued

New Year in July – Dish 3

Here's my final contribution for your New Year in July bash - a creamy chicken curry :

I first came across a version of this recipe years ago by Madhur Jaffrey, here's mine :

Dish 3 - Malai wali murghi

(aka MWM)

1.35kg/3lb chicken fillet, diced

*1½ tsp salt

*2 tsps cumin

*2 tsps coriander

*½ tsp turmeric

*½ tsp cayenne pepper

ground black pepper

6/7 garlic cloves or equivalent paste

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled

and chopped finely or equivalent paste

300ml water

6 tbsp vegetable oil

110g onion, chopped finely

175g passata

1 tsp garam masala

200ml double cream (heavy USA)

If you are using raw garlic and ginger then blitz them in a blender, add a drop or two of the water and blend until smooth. Alternatively mix both the garlic and ginger pastes together.

Mix the spices marked * above.

Using a large frying pan add the vegetable oil and heat. Seal the diced chicken on both sides and set aside in the slow cooker.

Fry the onion for 2/3 minutes and add black pepper. Add the garlic and ginger paste then the spices and fry for 2/3 minutes. Mix the passata with the remaining water and add to the mixture, bring to the boil and transfer to the slow cooker – cook for 2/3 hours.

15 minutes before the end of cooking time add the garam masala and the double cream to complete the dish.

If you prefer a vegetarian or vegan version you can use Quorn pieces. If you use Quorn pieces they take 12 minutes to cook from frozen. Cook the sauce on the hob for 30 minutes, adding the Quorn after 18 minutes, with the garam masala and cream at the same time, simmer for the remaining 12 minutes.

You'll not be disappointed – there's more …

Winter menu – option 5 ...

... the either or!

A fast chilli served in a bowl, topped with a spoonful

of sour cream and baked bread on the side – or fries or

wedges if that's your bag!

There are several ticks here – first and foremost, it's fast so you can make ahead in a large frying pan on the hob, requiring re-heating only and adding any variations of your choice. It caters for meat eaters, veggies, vegans - for everyone's preference - steak mince, Quorn mince, or vegan mince. You can even make a posh version and use your slow cooker.

A word of warning – DO NOT slow cook tinned red kidney beans, they should be added at the final stage.

Posh Chilli

Serves 4

500g diced steak

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed

tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder (to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)

500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed

optional extras :

150g small dice or sliced chorizo

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and

finely sliced

Seal the diced steak in batches in a large frying pan using a drop of rapeseed oil then set aside in your slow cooker. If you're making the chilli on the hob then seal the steak mince – the frozen Quorn options can be added later so continue with the method below.

Gently fry your onion and garlic, using another drop of rapeseed oil if necessary. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil. Add to the sealed diced steak and then slow cook for 4 hours. Turn off and then leave to cool. Freeze in boxes to suit your needs – remember – you can pull out two boxes if you need to, rather than have to throw away from a larger quantity.

Defrost thoroughly in your fridge. Re-heat gently on the stove adding your kidney beans or any of the optional extras!

For the optional extras :

Use a large frying pan and fry the chorizo gently so that it releases its oil. Set the chorizo aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

Sauté the sliced, sweet baby peppers in the chorizo oil.

If you enjoy a spicy hit you can use mixed beans in a chilli sauce instead of ordinary red kidney beans.

Serve with rice if you like but I think it's fab in a bowl with a blob of sour cream served with some rustic bread of your choice on the side or with wraps with bowls of relish of your choice – mango would work well.

Freezing serves dishes like chilli or curry very well – the freezing process allows the spices to develop.

Here's a thought – you could double the recipe and serve as a supper or as part of a larger supper buffet - if the day ever dawns when we are able to entertain family and friends again – at least this recipe can be made ahead and frozen so you get to spend all your time with the gang!

Option 6, the “takeaway” and the “treat” - the end of this week!

More treasure for the chest … freezer

Are you with me so far? I should probably be asking are you still interested!

Next up, more elements for you to make and freeze – not necessarily quickly – but you'll be really pleased with the results when you can assemble delicious home-made meals – fast.

Who doesn't love a curry – everyone needs a curry sauce in their culinary library – here's mine:

Chip Shop Curry Sauce

50g unsalted butter

2 large onions, finely sliced and chopped

1 tsp of ginger paste

4 roasted garlic cloves

3 tbsp mild curry powder

3 tbsp malt vinegar

½ tsp star anise powder

500ml of the slow cooked star anise chicken stock

2 tbsp slaked cornflour

2 tbsp lemon juice

160ml coconut cream

Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until soft – about 15 minutes, make sure there's no colour. Add the curry powder, star anise powder and vinegar, fry for another minute. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes, stir occasionally, you don't want it to stick.

Add two tbsp of water to the cornflour, mix and pour into the sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stir until you've got a silky, thickened sauce. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, add the lemon juice.

You will get approximately 630g of thick curry sauce - I'd divide in half - 315g into two boxes and deposit in the treasure chest!

The sauce freezes well and I'd suggest you might want to do so in portions you know will suit you best. Remember, you can always take out more than one box, infinitely better than wasting part of a larger one.

Defrost the sauce in the fridge, then tip into a medium saucepan and warm it through. If you want to loosen the thickness but enrich the sauce add 160ml of coconut cream and stir until thoroughly absorbed.

It's difficult to get the right balance of “heat” and “spice” in a curry sauce and inevitably you can't please everyone. Chip shop curry is not as strong as traditional curries. To give you an idea of “heat” and “spice” I'd say it's not as hot and spicy as a rendang and not as mild as a korma, so middle for diddle, suitable for everyone.

Clearly this curry sauce takes time – I can only say that it's definitely worth the effort!

By the way, you don't have to use the anise chicken stock, ordinary chicken stock is fine or vegetable stock if you want a veggie version.

Next … what to do with a lump of leftover roast beef

Remember I said …

… I'm not sure this is the end of my supper menu – I was right, it wasn't. I prepared my usual favourite sides – a slaw with sultanas and apples and baby beetroots in balsamic vinegar.

My final dish is another variation on one of my favourite themes – the whole slow cooked chicken. Place two or three whole star anise** in the cavity of the chicken. Spread the chicken with the garlic and stock paste but omit the oregano.

The result is a moist, tender chicken with an aromatic, garlicky flavour. I sliced the breast and served just as it was. It was delicious and gets a big tick. As is my usual habit I strained the stock and it's in the freezer along with the rest of the chicken for another day.

If you'd like a good idea for “another day” why not smoke chicken breasts in your aromatic stock, and no you don't have to have your own smokery. Poach them in the stock - 500ml. Bring the stock to the boil and submerge 4 medium chicken breasts and simmer for 10minutes, covered – turn the breasts over a couple of times. Turn off the pan and leave the breasts to continue cooking in the stock. Fridge when cooled.

**Star anise is a spice native to China and Vietnam. It has many culinary uses - as an ingredient in Chinese 5 spice powder - in Indian cuisine it's ground to a powder as part of garam masala and in Vietnam used in their famous soup dish Pho. It's a perfect marriage for slow cooked dishes. It's used in sweet dishes too drizzled as a syrup over fruit, and even steeped in coffee to enhance flavour.

One of my favourites but I suppose you have to like aniseed!

Island of Anglesey – Beaumaris

Beaumaris is a beautiful town in the east of Anglesey and is steeped in history, check out the Castle.

Here are a couple of photos - one taken from the pier looking back into the town and the other to the sea :

If it's a spot of retail therapy you're after then Beaumaris is the place – unusual these days I know – it has real shops – perfect for a holiday mooch around.

Here's my discovery - “The Little Chilli Shop” 4 Church Street Beaumaris.

I met the lovely Suzanne who was so helpful. Apart from all things chilli Suzanne has a wide variety of spices. What a find – I'm always on the look out for star anise powder. I love the whole spice but the powder is really useful for making marinades. 100g later I'm a very happy person. They grow their own chillies and make the products - and much more besides.

I'd definitely recommend you visit!

Halloumi – seasoning and dips to go with

This is where you make it your own.

Seasonings and rubs can be whatever you want them to be and it might be a good idea initially to try a “ready to use” product – there are so many to choose from :

Hot and spicy

BBQ

Smokey steak

Cajun

Za'atar

Sumac

Ras el hanout

Jamaican Jerk

Chinese 5 Spice

Fajita

Spanish

Italian

Piri Piri

If you can't find a seasoning or rub that you like then make your own – a couple of ideas

are on their way.

Dips for me are equally if not more important and can depend entirely on your mood at the time. Will it be Thousand Island, sweet chilli, mayo, garlic and chive with lemon and sour cream, guacamole, hummous, salsa – a little bit of what you fancy does you good.

Anyway, enough waffling, here they are :

Interested – I was - it was definitely worth the experiment!