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Pan de Jamon, loosely translated as Ham Bread, is a typical Venezuelan dish specially enjoyed at Christmas time. For those living in Venezuela it’s easy to get: you simply go to your favourite bakery and order and/or buy as many loaves as you and your family want. For those of us living abroad, we need to be a bit more resourceful in trying to recreate this delicious and beloved Christmas treat. This is my version of Pan de Jamon. Yields one large loaf, and can be easily doubled. I used my Kitchenaid mixer but you can also knead by hand.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 and 1/4 cups of  milk
1/2 tablespoon of granulated yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
50 grams of melted butter
500 grams of all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 egg, beaten, for brushing the bread

For the filling:
400 to 500 grams (about a pound) of ham, sliced thinly. I used maple glazed, but honey roasted or black forest would also work nicely, I just trim the edges off
Raisins and pimento-stuffed green olives, as many as you like
Bacon fat to brush the inside of the dough. Simply cook a couple of strips of bacon until translucent (not crispy) and use that fat

Preparation:
Add the sugar and granulated yeast to half a cup of warm milk, stir, cover and let it sit in a warm area for about 15 to 20 minutes, until you see a thick layer of foam on top. Pour this mix into the bowl of a stand-up mixer and incorporate the rest of the milk, the egg and the melted butter. Using the dough hook, begin mixing at the lowest speed. Combine the salt and flour and slowly add to the mix, kneading until the dough is smooth and starts to come clean off the edges. Stop the mixer, cover the bowl and set aside in a warm area for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. Proceed to get the dough out of the bowl and place on a flour-coated surface, knead with your hands for a few minutes until the dough feels soft and doesn’t stick to your fingers. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle; I like my dough thin, so I leave it less than half a centimeter thick.

Leaving about a 2 centimeter border, brush the dough with the bacon fat. Proceed to cover with the ham slices (making sure you leave that 2 centimeter border). Then sprinkle the raisins on top of the ham, rinse and strain the olives and place them in a row (or two if you really like them), that way you make sure every slice will get at least one olive.

Proceed to roll the dough, brushing the end with a bit of water to help seal it.

Use your fingers to pinch the ends closed and place the loaf diagonally, with the sealed side down, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a fork to make indentations on the top of the bread and then place in the preheated oven.

About 15 minutes into the cooking time, brush the bread with the beaten egg. Bake for a total of 50 minutes to an hour, checking regularly. Once done and golden brown, take out of the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing into this delicious treat, enjoy!

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This is another one of those salads my grandma used to make on a regular basis, hope you try it!
The amount of ingredients will depend on how many people you need to feed.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, sliced and/or cut in half-moons
Carrots, sliced and cooked in boiling water for about 5 minutes, just until tender
Petit pois (green peas), I use the ones that come in a can without salt added
For the dressing: ketchup and mayonnaise in equal amounts

Preparation:
In a serving platter place the tomato slices in a large circle, then place the sliced and cooked carrots in a circle inside the one formed by the tomatoes, finally place the petit pois in the center. Mix the ketchup and mayonnaise well until you have a pink-coloured sauce and drizzle over the salad.

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This is by no means an original Mexican recipe, rather this is my grandma’s version which I remember filling our kitchen with delicious smells on special weekend mornings. I like this recipe because of its versatility, you can use what you have in hand and make a hearty breakfast that will not soon be forgotten. Below are quantities for a version I made for me and my hubby just this morning.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced (or 1/4 onion, chopped)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
5 slices of pepper salame, cut into thin strips (you can also use ham or bacon)
1 small can of diced tomatoes, strained (14.5 oz o 411 grams)
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese, grated (approximately 1/4 cup)
Mozzarella cheese, grated, or any other type of cheese you like and melts well (approximately 1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a large skillet place the oil at medium heat, add the green onion (or onion) and red pepper, let cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the salame, ham or bacon, stir and let cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir lower heat and cover, letting it cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften and the flavours combine. Proceed to crack the eggs on top of the sauce and cover, letting the eggs cook for a couple of minutes. Finally sprinkle the cheeses on top, let them melt and season with salt and pepper.

You can serve these huevos rancheros with some soft corn tortillas previously heated in the oven (wrapped in aluminum foil) or even with some toast. For this special version I cooked some pancetta slices in the oven until crispy to make it look pretty, ensuring the dish matches my beautiful new skillet, a gift from my good friend Lucy

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These past couple of weeks I was in Venezuela visiting family and friends and making sure I tried many local dishes and ingredients that are hard to find elsewhere. One of those authentic Venezuelan ingredients is papelón, which is used in many dishes and is also the main ingredient for a refreshing drink called papelón con limón. This blocks of delicious sweetness, called panela in Venezuela, is made from concentrated sugar cane juice. It has different names and a wide variety of presentations depending on which country of Latin America you are in; here is what it looks like in Venezuela:

Ingredients:
1 panela de papelón (approximately 500 grams)
4 to 5 limes
1.5 to 2 litres of water
Plenty of ice to serve

Preparation:
Grate the panela. This is a slow and fastidious process, but it yields the best results, so do as I did and enroll some help!

Place the water in a large jar, add the grated papelón and the juice of the limes, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate well. Give it a try to make sure there is a good balance between the sweetness of the papelón and the tartness of the lime juice, keeping in mind this is a concentrated version of the drink, which in the end will be diluted with the ice when served. Chill well in the fridge. Serve in tall glasses with plenty of ice.

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This is a recipe that Amber, a friend from work, shared with me. I call her “Martha” (Stewart) and since she raved about this recipe, I was quite sure it would turn out to be one tasty chicken… and it did! It was absolutely simple to make and turned out so moist and delicious you would think that some kind of magic trick was needed. I used a dutch oven to cook it, but you can just use any oven-safe pan that can stand a 450 degree temperature. This one is definitely going on the weeknight menu in our home, hope it makes it into yours! Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken of 1.4 kilos (or about 3 pounds), skin on, “yucky bits out” (“Martha’s” own words)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse salt (I used this lovely Red Alaea traditional Hawaiian sea salt that my friend Michelle brought me from Maui)
1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place an oven safe pan or skillet in the oven to preheat as well. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, rub olive oil all over it and then season the entire bird with the salt and pepper. Tie the legs with some string if not already tied. Once the oven has reached 450 degrees, place the chicken, breast side up, in the preheated pan and cook for 40 minutes. After the 40 minutes are up turn the oven off but leave the chicken in the oven (without opening it) for an additional 40 minutes, you will end up with something like this:

Take it out of the pan, cut it up and proceed to enjoy one tasty chicken! Amber, aka Martha, you were absolutely right, this is delicious! Thanks for sharing