It’s almost time for the New Year!! Let’s count down the hours with this wonderful Venezuelan recipe by my friend Alvaro Rodriguez.

Alvaro saids, “This is a favorite recipe of mine. It is so simple I should have it all year. But, as tradition would have it, I only do it during the end of year holidays.
It stems from Venezuela, the country where I was born. In Caracas every neighborhood has its share of bakeries. And each one takes a lot of pride on how they do this particular bread. Growing up, my dad would stop at our neighborhood bakery almost on a daily bases and pick one of these up for dinner on the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year. You could almost judge the character of your Christmas party host by the quality of the Pan de Jamón they served. Serious business!”
Pan de Jamón good at any time of the day. You may enjoy it with coffee in the morning, Or with a glass of wine before dinner.”

I’ve deconstructed the original recipe so it can be done in less than 45 minutes, 35 of which are while it bakes in the oven.

Pan De  Jamón Recipe 

~A Venezuelan Treat~

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lbs of good quality ham, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup of pitted olives. I like manzanillas with piquillo peppers. It gives a beautiful color.
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1 Dufour puff pastry sheet (Available at Whole Foods)
• 1/4 stick of melted butter

Method:

1. Stretch puff pastry so it’s about 14 wide by 18. Arrange the ham so cover most of the puff pastry, leaving a one inch border all around.
2. Sprinkle raisins and olives evenly over the ham. Then fold along the  long edges about an inch in, so the edge of the pastry is now touching the ham.
3. Then staring at one end, wrap the puff pastry onto itself. It will take about two full revolutions to get to the other end. The idea is that the ham is sealed by the dough.
4. Then using a fork, poke the top surface of the bread. So that the steam will exit through there and not through the sides.
5. I like to draw patterns on the surface with the fork. Before we put it in the oven, brush the melted butter over the top, making sure to brush all over the surface.
   Why didn’t I ask you to warm the oven before? We’ll because we need to refrigerate the dough a bit before baking. It’s the key to flaky dough. 🙂
6. After 30 mins in the fridge, pre heat your oven to 350° and bake for 30 min or until golden brown.

There you have it, Pan De Jamón!! Wouldn’t you like to enjoy this on New Years with a glass of wine?! Thank you to my friend Alvaro for this wonderful Venezuelan recipe. It’s time for me to make some puff pastry, and try this out.

Kali Orexi From Kouzounas Kitchen.

Happy Happy New Year!!