Pan de Jamon

by Diana

One does not realise how important traditions are until the end of the year gets close.  Now that Christmas is looming, I must confess how hard and extremely weird for me it is to witness British getting exited about mince pies, mulled wine and fruity puddings, and it is equally surprising to go to a bakery and find anything but sausage rolls and everyday pastries, and nothing similar to what I traditionally enjoyed buying back home during the festive season. This is why I wanted to share with you today one of our most beloved Venezuelans Christmas dishes: Pan de Jamon. 

Pan de jamon or ham bread, is a soft bread dough stuffed with ham, olives, raisins and sometimes -the best times- bacon and cream cheese. The only thing is that the process of making the dough is a long and exhaustive one and somehow it clashes with the fast rhythm of life of the big city -and by big city I am definitely not referring to Caracas but to agitated London-. Therefore I chose to make Pan de Jamon with puff pastry instead -the most expensive option in Venezuela's market and contrastingly, the cheapest one in London-. It takes about an hour to make and bake and just seconds to enjoy! 

I would like to add here a recent anecdote: I gave a portion of Pan de Jamon to a Scottish young lady I know and although she didn't question its deliciousness, she just couldn't understand the reason for the raisins and she confessed -to my regret- that she left them on the side! Feel free not to include them in your recipe, but please just be adventurous -and a little bit exotic- and give it a try!  

© Diana Chaccour

Peach and Pomegranate Couscous

By Diana

Last week I came back home with a pomegranate in my bag and I started wondering what will be the best way to use it, since I do not have much experience with that fruit, except for my childhood memories. 

My granny used to have a pomegranate tree in her back yard (or probably an overhanging branch from the neighbour's tree with all the fruit). My mum and aunty used to call me excitedly whenever ripe pomegranates were ready to be eaten: "Diaaaaanaaaa, come running". I used to respond quickly to their calls with stunning enthusiasm for many reasons. Firstly, the garden was my adventure playground, my fantasyland and the perfect place to explore and hide. I would often be found riding my tricycle around the patio while pretending to be in one of my adventures. Hearing their calls instantly represented an invitation to include the adults in my playing fantasy. Secondly, for me it was almost a miracle that all those bright blood coloured pearls could be found inside that fruit globe that was hanging unreachably high above my head. This gave me a big sense of achievement!. Back then we didn't make any recipes with the fruits, we just shared the seeds in the garden, being careful of course, not to stain our skirts!

This time I chose to make a couscous with the pomegranate, incorporating peach and some herbs. A very easy and tasteful recipe that I am sure you will enjoy!

© Diana Chaccour

Sesame Cupcakes

By Julie

One of the problems of being a recipe writer is that you use anything resembling note paper to jot down a recipe while you are cooking and baking, thinking “you will have more time to type it in the computer later...”. That can be an empty egg carton or a supermarket receipt. It only becomes a problem, though, if your husband, in the incredibly sweet attempt to help clean the kitchen afterwards, collects everything closely resembling trash and takes it outside before you know what is happening. Not a bad deal though: I get to make them again and my wonderful husband gets paid for his kitchen duty with cupcakes.

Enjoy our sesame cupcakes of the week!

© Diana Chaccour