Australian Christmas lunch

This X'Mas, try a local laid-back lunch that allows you to relax and enjoy the holiday

The s Lm is beaming down and the air condicioning has been switched on early mid- morning. The sound of kids splashing in the pool echoes throughout many su burban back ya rds. It's summertime and Christmas day. There is no need to spend homs slaving over a hot stove. Chill our and have a cold style Christmas Aussie lunch.

Roast Chicken

Drumsticks with Sa lsa

Serves 8

Preparatio11 lit11e: 30 111i11utes

Cooking time: 1 hour

This dish should be prepared the night before Xmas, scored in the fridge overnight and ready for you r Christmas lu nch the next day.

2 kgs chicken drumscick s

1 lemon

I tsp paprika

½ esp lemon pepper seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil

P inch of salt

Lemon wedges co ser ve

Preheat oven to 200 degrees or 180 degrees (fan forced). Place the drumsticks in a roasting dish. Cut the lemon i n to quarters and squeeze lemon juice over d ie drumsticks. Rub the oil over the drumstick s and sprinkle with paprilrn, lemo n pepper seasoning and sa lt. Roast the drumsticks for 45mins - l hour, until golden brown. Cool and refrigerate until needed.

Sa lsa

4 ripe tomatoes

½ small onion, finely chopped l clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp lemon juic e

I tbsp Tabasco sauce

I tbsp olive oil

Pinch salt

¼ cup chopped parsle y

Cut the tomatoes in half and remove che seeds. Dice t he toma toes into 1cm cube -sized p ieces Comb ine this in a bowl with cbe diced onion, crushed garlic, lemon juice and o il. Add Tabasco sauce and salt to taste. Stir through die parsley. Sta n d for and hour so to le e the flavours

INDIAN LINK develop.

When read y serve alongside chicken drumsticks.

Brown Rice Salad

Serves 8

Cooking ti111e: 15 mi1111tes

Prep11rr1tio11 time: 15 111i1111tes

The rice can be cooked in advance for this recipe. Slice and chop the vegetables beforehand and place in fridge until read y co serve

500g small cooked prawns

2 cups (22g) cooked brown rice (approx 2/3 cup uncooked brown rice)

1 medium red capsiCLtm, chopped finely

3 spring onion, finel y chopped

2 trimmed celery stalks, finel y chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp crean1

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives l tsp cas cer sugar

Shell and devein prawns, chop up into 1cm cubed sized p ieces. Place brown rice in a large bowl. Add chopped prawns, sliced capsicum, chopped sp ring onion and chopped celery stalks. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, cream, chives and sugar together. Add to rice and vegetables Gendy toss through.

Homemade Pesto

Pasta Salad

S erves 8

Prepamtion ti111e: 20 111in11tes

Cooking times: 10 111i1111/es

I bunch fresh basil leaves

2 tbsp p ine nuts

2 g loves of crushed garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

500g penne pasta

250g grape romaroes

½ Spanish onion, thinly sliced

1 red capsicum, thinly s liced

Bocconcini cheese

Place d1e basil leaves, pine mus, g arlic and cheese into a food processo r. Pulse until welJ chopped. Slowly add d1e olive oil and continue to pul se food processor. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta in boili ng salted water as per die packet instr uctions. Once cooked, drain pasta into a colander and rinse with cold wacer.

Place into a large bowl.

Ad d grape romaroes; scatter thinl y sliced onion and capsicum through dish. Add the pesto sauce and stir until well combined Ready to serve!

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Green Salad with Mango

Serves 8

Prepamtio11 ti111e: 20 111i11utes

3 Lebanese cucumbers

1 small red o nion t hi nly sliced

2 medium mangoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks

400g mixed salad leaves

I /3 cup olive oil

'/• cup lemon juice

2 esp wholegrain mu stard

Using a vegetable pee ler, cut thin ribbons from cuCLm1bers. Place cucumber in a l arge bowl. Add onion, mango and salad leaves.

Wh isk togedier oil, lemon juic e and mustard in a bowl until weU combined. Add di e dress ing to the salad Tos~ gendy to combine.

Serve

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Sunset Pavlo va

Serves 8

Total cooking time: 1 ho11r

Prepamtion ti111e: 30 111i111tfes

The Pavlova should be made di e day before.

4 egg whites

I cup castor sugar

2 tsp corn.flour

1 tsp white v inegar

I cup fresh cream ¼ cup flaked coconut

½ peeled, cored and dunly sliced fresh pineapple

I peeled and s liced thinly fresh mango

2 peeled and sliced fresh b an anas

2 fresh passion fruit

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees for a conventional oven or 150 for a fan forced oven. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the egg whites and a pinch of sale into a large and very clean glass bowl. Ensure the egg whites ar e at room temperature. Using an electric beater, beat slowly until the ,vhites stare co become a frodiy foan1, increase the speed of the beaters until die bubbles have become small and evenly sized When the foam forms stiff peaks, add che sugar graduall)~ continuously beating after each addition., until the mixnire is diick and glossy, and all the sugar has dissolved. Don't overbear the mixnire odi erwise it will become grainy. Using a metal spoon, fold in the sifted cornAour and vinegar. Spoon th e m.ixntre into a mound onto the prepared baking tray. Lightl y flatten the top of the Pavlova and smooth the sides. The Pavlova should have a cake shape. Bake t he Pavlova for 1 bom, or until pale cream in colour and crisp on d1e outside. Remove from di e oven while warm, and carefully rum upside down onto a serving dish

Spread flaked coconut onto a baking tray with baki n g paper and cook for 2 -3 minutes, until lightl y toasted. Cool complete.ly.

Using the electric beaters, whip die fresh cream until soft peaks form, di en spread over tbe Pavlova.

Top die cream wi th d1inly sliced pineapple, mango and bananas Drizzle die Pavlova with the pulp of 2 fresh passionfruit, and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Cm into wedges a.nd se r ve.

A

strange quirk of fate and technology results in a new beginning and ending he smartp hone she held in her hand bu rn ed her lingers

She read t he text message again. That is all he had sent, a re.xr m essage comprising a mere word s: " l can't d o d1is co h er. I'm nor coming hack. Sorry."

T en years of m ar ri age wiped out b y te n words. \Xlorse, her husband had not even had the decen cy to tell her in person. "Sorry-' ' - that s ing le word was neither an apo logy nor a consolation. As rears slid d own her cheeks, she asked he r self the qu estion: \'\!h y me ?

Wbat vital sign of the affair h ad she missed? His regular absence from h o m e was n ormal co heL

He was a pilot and the very nature o f his job called for chose trips

Like m os r wives s he had been o n the lookout for the classic signs - lip stick o n the collar, wrong numbers, un explai n ed gifts, new additions to the wardrobe and di sappearance of mo ney fro m d1eir accounts. But of mese b ad happ en ed. When be was home, ever y moment was spent with her. And yet there was d1e message o n her phone, fo rcing her heart to believe what it did not wa n t to L1 me n ext fe,v h our s she faced all ten aspects o f human personalities.

Kama (Love): Theirs had been a Jove marr iage Th ey had fought famil y and society for the rig h t to wed. People had accused them of forge tting all se n sibilities fo r an em otion they we re m istaking fo r love. And just when everyone was linally admicring that they were wron g, Just had trul y stepped in and made a m ockery of t heir marriage.

Kro dha (Anger) : Thi s was me one emotio n that s he had never shown during her entire m arriage. Yee now after the initial shock b ad worn off, i t was me ern otion d1ac surfaced lirsc. Anger a t her husba nd, an ger a t 'tha t woman' a nd most of all, she ex pressed anger at her own srnpidi ty. She was angry witb the phone M o b a (delusion): She derided iiw m s m itli I I ( What' s on your mknd:'_'.? _ 1

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[o Create ~oup herse l f fo r getti ng caught up in di e ilfosionary world of love. She had built her life aroun d what she felt for her husband a nd was al ways grateful for what she got return. Buc now that th e illusion had bee n lifted , all she fel t was betrayal And she vowed that it would never happen to h er again.

Lob h a (Greed): She spent a good h alf hour logging into the ir bank accoums From the join t accoun ts sh e transferred h alf of the funds to her personal account. She was tempted to emp ty the accoun ts as retr ibu tio n , t hen realised t ha t r ight has its p lace, but greed would always be w ro ng. And a nyd1ing wrong had no p lace in her future.

Ma d a (Pride) : She cook a l ong time co come to terms wid1 th is failing bur no matter how much she wante d to forgive her husband, her pride would not lee her. Had he left after celling her t he trL1th, s he could have forgive n him. Bue to sen d her a te.'(t me ssage celling her that their marriage was over a nd d-iat d1ere \Vas another woman in his life, was unfo rgivable l\1a tsara Qealousy) : Of course, she was jeal ou s She was d1e wife, theirs had bee n a love marriage and he had promised her a lifetime of togetherness. Now h e was promising all that to another. The parm er l eft behind is d1e one most disadvantaged. They still wan t t he past, rh ey still hope fo r a future and d1ey b e lieved in the pre sent.

Manas (Mind): The mind was d1e hardest to control and d1e

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Amy•'t-la e E'lfiott went frombe tn g in a rtla6on:;rnp· IIl 511'@1e•,

• t l<;c eomment • 33 imr,ules ago m osr difliculr to steer in d1e r igh t direction Since receiving that o n e message, her mind was out of h e r control. Her mougbts ran helter- s kelter! It remembered w h at t hey had togethe r an d i t mourned what mey would n ever have After hours of mentally torturing h erself, she decided, she wo uld stop hurting herself. Her husband was feeling n one of d1e pain sbe w as, so wh y was sh e wastin g h er time w id1 d1ough ts o f 'w hat was'. J c cook her many hours to conclude d1at if she did n o r ma tter to h im , h e would n o lo nge r maner to h er Bu d d h i (Intellec t) : As mou g h ts of reve nge surfaced, she decided th at she wo uld never give h im a divorce. If be wa n ted d1e o d1er woma n , she would have to wait a li fetime for hi m. A lifetime! The sam e li fetime d1at she would have co waste in tears and h eartac he! But as t houghts of revenge and h atred filled her mind, b il e began to lill her throat. Was revenge worm more of this bile? Would mey ever be able co Jove eac h od1er again? When bo d 1 questions got a negative answer, she decided tha t it w as tim e to use he r in tellec t. S he was an educ ated woman, w ho o nce bad an independent c areer. Sbe could use both mose experie nces A n independen t life of dignity was b e tter than a life where sbe was me rely tole rated Chitta (\Xl iU) : After many hours of soul- searc hing, her inner power res urface d and assur ed h er tha t she would s urvive the turbul ence

And just when everyone was finally admitting that they were wrong, lust had truly stepped in and made a mockery of their marriage.

Not o n ly would she survive, but she wo Ltld mrive o n e more. le spoke of courage and sttengm It bro ug h t calm and peace She was the sam e person she was before she got d1e m essage, a complete b ein g a n d she would always be the same p erso n as long as she believed in h e rse l f and adhered to her principles.

A h ,mkar (Ego) : The self drnt had been hurt, insulted and abused, scattered into the unkn ow n. The self mac remained was a spiritual b eing and t he person drnt n ow looked at the message asked just o n e question, "\'v'hy nor m e?" In wh at way was she more special di.at t he woman living n e.'(t door? fo what way was she clearer man the wife d own the street? Between h er intellect and her will , sh e chose di e pad, that was right fo r all.

S he packed her b ags, locked d1e fro n t door an d left in her car. She drove to the beach house she and h er husband loved during th eir short breaks She would not be Man dod ari, sile ntly waiting for her hu sband's in fatuatio n w im an other woman to end. She would not be R avana who was Lmable to contro l the ten aspects of his life as symbolised by h is ten heads. She would do as Ra m a did, rake a n egative situati o n a nd bring about a pos irive result.

Just as she reached the beach house, her husban d e ntered their h ome. " D arling?" he called out. His words were met with s_ilence. He looked around but could nor lind b is wife Her car

It took her many hours to condude that if she did not matter to him, he would no longer matter to her was missing as well. Intending to call h e r, he cook our his mobile phone. J u st t hen a m essage showed up in his in box. I r was from h is w ife. " l hope yo u both are very happy roged1e r. Go odbye "

Goodbye? He looked at cbe word a nd frowned. And then panic set in a s he sc rolled down co r he message below. His words jumped up fro m d1e screen Hell! He had mhed up the t\vo messages. As realiLy set in, h is mob il e slipped to the floor.