A piece of the rainbow: ham and pepper pie

Doesn't everyone dream of possessing a small part of the rainbow, or better yet, a bit of the gold waiting at the end? While we can't offer much in the way of gold, we do have a recipe that certainly brings a variety of colors to your plate. One look at this ham and pepper pie, and you might believe it to be too pretty to eat! But you should, because it is as delicious as it is beautiful. 

You will need:

  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • 1/2 orange pepper
  • 1/2 yellow pepper
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 4 slices ham
  • 4.5 oz mozzarella
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper

Here's how: 

  1. Wash the peppers and cut them into thick strips. Cut the puff pastry into two pieces, one measuring 6 x 8 inches, and the other around 7.5 x 8 inches. Take the smaller of the pieces and cut it into 17 strips. 
  2. Now begins the most difficult task; but don't worry, a trick makes it easy to handle. Of your 17 strips, place 13 right next to each other. At the end, place another strip on top of the 13 strips, but in the opposite direction. Pull every second strip over the end, as if turning a page of a book. Place a row of red peppers on top of the strips that are not pulled over, before pulling the original strips back over to cover the pepper. Repeat this weaving process, alternating colors. Once you've reached the end, place another strip to close off the pattern. The two extra strips of dough should be placed at the top and the bottom, so that the colorful masterpiece is properly framed. 
  3. Brush the larger piece of pastry with egg, and then place the ham in the middle, followed by the mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Place the colorful braided pastry on top of the ham and cheese. To close the pie, fold the edges of the larger, bottom pastry over the edges of the top.
  5. Brush the entire pie with egg, and bake for 25 minutes at 375°F. 

It's hard to cut into this beauty, but now that you know how it's done, you can make this pie again and again! Next time, play around with other colorful veggie combinations, like carrots, zucchini and eggplant. Enjoy!

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Also hefty