This is my all time favourite recipe for summer grilling in the back yard, and is a little bit different from those chicken recipes that have been handed down to you from your mother! The basic idea comes from Spanish cuisine although Thais prepare a fantastic steamed version. It takes a little preparation but the results are fantastic. This is definitely a dish to pull out when the sun is blazing and the grill is calling out to be used.

You will need:

· 6 squid tubes. Frozen is ok.

· 500 grams minced pork

· Half an onion

· 2-3 whole star anise

· Teaspoon of nutmeg

· A good handful of pine nuts

· Salt and pepper

· Olive oil

· Toothpicks

Start by thawing and washing the squid tubes, then pat them dry.

With a mortar and pestle (or grinder if you have one), pound the pine nuts and star anise to a fine powder, then add the nutmeg and finish the seasoning with some salt and pepper.

Then finely chop the onion. You don’t need a lot of onion in this recipe as it may overpower the squid.

Mix the spice powder and finely chopped onion evenly through the pork and then return it to the refrigerator. It’ll be easier to handle when cold.

After a minimum of half an hour, take each squid tube and close off one end of each tube with a tooth pick. Now carefully stuff each tube with the pork mixture but don’t overfill. Make sure you’ve left enough room to seal off the second opening. Once each squid tube is reasonably full, grab the toothpicks and seal off those holes.

Finally, drizzle some olive oil over the tubes and get them on a hot grill. Squid is usually cooked in a very short time but because these are stuffed with pork, they will need 4 minutes on one side and then turned over for another 3 or so minutes.

Now all you have to do is serve them.

I love these just as they are with a salad to nibble at but occasionally I’ll lay a bed of my favourite tomato-based sauce down on a plate and lay the squid on that.

For drinks, I’d recommend an ice-cold lager style beer or a pitcher of sangria. Enjoy!