A Downunder Christmas Lunch

Ingredients (serves 4)

* 4 (460g) chorizo sausages, sliced
* 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
* 1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
* 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 360g haloumi cheese, cubed
* 24 pimento stuffed green olives
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. Preheat a barbecue plate or chargrill over medium heat. Cook chorizo for 1 minute each side. Combine lemon rind, parsley and garlic. Thread chorizo, haloumi and olives onto 12 skewers. Brush with oil.
2. Cook skewers, turning occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until chorizo and haloumi are brown and heated through.
3. Serve sprinkled with lemon rind mixture.

Notes & tips

* You will need 12 pre-soaked skewers

This recipe is reproduced from Taste.com.au

There are so many wonderful delicacies that can be added to an antipasto platter. This one offers a pretty good selection but you could also add fresh cherry tomatoes, marinated fetta, panfried marinated baby octopus.

Ingredients (serves 8)

* 8 marinated artichokes
* 200g kalamata olives
* 16 slices chargrilled kumara (orange sweet potato)
* 24 slices chargrilled zucchini
* 280g jar chargrilled mushrooms, drained
* 150g semi-dried tomatoes
* 16 slices double smoked ham
* 16 slices mortadella
* 16 slices prosciutto
* rocket leaves, to serve
* Ingredients for garlic bread: (see following)
* 150g butter, softened
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed
* 5 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
* 1 large French stick

Method

Make garlic bread: Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine butter, garlic and basil in a bowl. Cut bread into 1.5cm-thick slices. Spread butter mixture on both sides of each slice. Wrap in foil. Place onto a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot.

Place artichokes, olives, kumara, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, ham, mortadella and prosciutto onto a large platter. Serve with rocket and hot bread.

Notes & tips

* Tip: Deli meats will keep longer if removed from plastic and wrapped in baking paper. Store in an airtight container in the coldest part of your fridge.

This recipe is reproduced from Taste.com.au

The perfect Christmas lunch in our family consists mainly of the freshest King or Tiger Prawns, beautiful Sydney Rock Oysters, perhaps some fresh lobster or Balmain Bugs if they are nice, some sliced cold turkey, pork and ham for those people who inexplicably don't like seafood (all the more for us!) and some salad and fresh crusty bread. But first, we pull the crackers, recite the silly joke and don the paper crown from inside.

This photo is used under a creative Commons licence from Vanessa Pike-Russell

I have been making this dessert for a while now - it frequently makes an appearance at family get-togethers. Very simple to make, I have substituted the more traditional brandy with Kahlua.

You will need:
3 eggs separated
3 tablespoons castor sugar
250g mascarpone
About 12 Savoiardi (sponge finger) biscuits or as many as needed to layer the bottom of your serving dish twice.
150ml strong coffee
4 tablespoons Kahlua
125g dark chocolate, grated

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and fold in the mascarpone a tablespoon at a time. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the egg yolk mixture. Arrange a layer of the siscuits in a dish, mix the coffee and Kahlua together and with a pastry brush, brush half of it over the biscuits. Cover them with half the mascarpone mixture, then sprinkle over half the grated chocolate. Repeat with a second layer, finishing with the grated chocolate. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

There is a printable version of this recipe at Family Favourite Tiramisu

Photo used under a Creative Commons licence from Sifu Renka