Languid Labour

The greatest irony about be unemployed (or a person of leisure) is that you never really have "leisurely" time. The weekends (long or otherwise) aren't justifications for putting your well-worked legs up and doing nothing because that's pretty much what you supposedly do most days. And on those universally recognized workdays, you find yourself constantly searching for tasks that require your attention, lest you are engulfed by an overwhelming tidal wave of guilt. What all this means is that even when you're not being productive, you're suitably busy trying to find something productive to do, but you really aren't doing anything at all. And so on and so forth.

This labour day holiday, which, unemployed as I am and hence, have done nothing to deserve, I awoke from a rather poor sleep. It (the poor sleep) was thanks, no doubt to my husband's late night poker session, and my worrying that he'd struggle to find his way home from Manly. I'm not the sort to worry, and it takes great enterprise for one to devise a matter that would cause me to lose sleep, so you can see how I view late-night poker and well, Sydney's taxi drivers.

But there were hungry mouths to feed, namely my sister's and mine, so here's a really easy dish you can throw together on those lazy long weekends. Nathan, meanwhile, continues to languish in bed with a ferocious headache, and the occasional theatrical moan of a man who's had one beer too many.

Daphne’s Chorizo and Lentil Soup

One chorizo (sliced)

1 large chicken breast

2 chicken stock cubes (500 ml chicken stock)

200gm red lentils

1 large onion (chopped)

1 clove garlic (diced)

1 bay leaf

1 tin tomatoes

1 stick celery, chopped

1 carrot, diced

80gm frozen peas

parsley and parmesan cheese to serve

DIRECTIONS

Fry garlic, onion and chorizo in oil until brown. Add other ingredients and simmer until cooked. Remove chicken breast, and shred. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded chicken, parsley and cheese. Serve with toasted, seeded bread with avocado and lemon spread.