Creamy Chicken Salad

This is a rich and creamy dish - real summer comfort food!

Serves 4-6

300-400 left-over free range or organic roast chicken, a room temperature
3 tbps of Greek yoghurt or soured cream
1 avocado, cubed
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
freshly squeezed lemon juice
frehsly ground black pepper
mixed salad leaves
a handful of cucumber slices, peeled, halved and cored
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
vinaigrette (optional)

1. Mix all the chicken, yoghurt, avocado, egg, lemon juice and black pepper.
2. Place a generous portion of salad leaves on a individual deep plates. Scatter with cucumber and tomatoes and drizzle with a little vinaigrette, if used.
3. Place a couple of heaped tablespoons of the chicken mix on top.

Artichokes with 2 Dips

The first time I tasted artichokes was in France when at the age of 17 I visited my pen pal who lived abuot 6 km outside of Paris. They served them with a vinaigrette and a mayonnaise based dip, which may or may not have been aïoli. I've since introduced quite a few people to artichokes always serving them with two similar dips. :)

1 artichoke per person, cooked
freshly ground pepper
sea salt

Balsamic dip:
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Yoghurt and mayonnaise dip:
2 heaped tbsp greek-style yoghurt
1 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
a squeeze of lemon juice

1. Bring a pan of water that's large enough to hold your artichokes to the boil.

2. Add pepper and salt and add the artichokes.

3. Boil for approx. 30-45 minutes. They're ready when you can pull one of the other leaves off and the flesh at it's bottom is soft.

4. Tip into a collander and rinse with cold water to prevent them from cooking further.

5. Serve at room temperature with the dips and optionally fresh crusty bread.

Alternative dips:
1. classic vinaigrette
2. aïoli