It's the day we celebrate our uniqueness – but what do we mean by "Australian" when it comes to food?
I've heard some chefs say Australia doesn't have a cuisine, but that's as ridiculous as saying that we don't have a culture. We have the oldest cuisine and culture in the world, going back tens of thousands of years, and one of the most modern, too.
Our cuisine and our culture changes day by day, as any good culture should, but we all share a common history.
Sure, modern Australia isn't just one thing, but I think that's our greatest asset – our people. We're all here on this wide brown land and we don't always agree or get along, but like any family, functional or dysfunctional, we're all stuck with one another for better or worse.
So throw a prawn on a barbie, whack it in a wok, or toss it through some pasta and let's celebrate Australia, a land as breathtaking and diverse as the people who live here.
BURIED PRAWNS
Serves 4-6
The great thing about this dish is that the fragrance of the smoking herbs doesn't just perfume the prawns, it fills the whole area around the barbecue as well.
• 2kg rock salt
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 bay leaves
• 24 large raw prawns
• lemon wedges, to serve
Take a triple layer of aluminium foil and mould it into the shape of a frying pan large enough to hold all of the salt and prawns. You can do this inside a large cast-iron frying pan if you wish. Place the foil pan on the barbie and add the salt, fennel seeds, peppercorns, rosemary and bay leaves.
Heat on the barbecue for 10-15 minutes until very hot and the herbs are fragrant. With tongs, bury the prawns in the hot salt in batches, cooking each batch for about 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the salt and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
PEACH & PASSIONFRUIT PAVLOVA POTS
Serves 8
Hey, New Zealand, we'll concede that you guys invented pavlova if you'll concede that we made it famous, okay? You know, just like Russell Crowe.
Photo: William Meppem
• 300ml thickened cream
• 4 ripe yellow peaches, peeled and finely sliced
• 4 passionfruits
• ¼ cup golden syrup
• sprigs of chervil or mint, to serve For the meringue
• 6 egg whites
• 1½ cups caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
For the meringue, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the sugar a teaspoon at a time and continue to beat until glossy. About halfway through adding the sugar, stir the cornflour and cream of tartar into the mixture, then continue adding the sugar. Continue to beat for about 10 minutes, until you can no longer feel any sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
Heat your oven to 110°C. Spread the mixture onto a lined baking sheet to a thickness of about 5cm and bake for around 75 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the oven, then cut into 5cm pieces.
Whip the cream to soft peaks and transfer to a piping bag. Divide the pavlova pieces between 8 jars or attractive cups and pipe a little of the cream inside. Arrange the peach slices and passionfruit on top and drizzle with a little golden syrup. Add a few sprigs of chervil or mint to serve.
Adam's tip: You could always make a regular pavlova, but desserts in jars or glasses look great. Prepare them ahead of time and just keep them in the fridge ready to serve. If you entertain reasonably often, a set of 10-15 attractive jars is a worthwhile investment.