Sausage and Broccoli Pie

This is a wonderful, closed pizza -- for which you will find a recipe in many a Sicilian kitchen. Salute!

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 pizza or pasta dough recipe
12 ounces broccoli florets, separated into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small jalapeno pepper, cut in half and seeded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces Italian sweet sausage, removed from the casings and crumbled into pieces
2 large ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece into a 12-inch round. Then roll out the other piece into a slightly smaller round. Cover the rounds with a damp tea towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Cook the broccoli for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender in a pot of boiling salted water. In a medium non-stick skillet, lightly brown the garlic over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the hot pepper and broccoli and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add 1 more tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet and brown the sausage. Add the broccoli, season with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool.

Spread the cooled mixture evenly over the large round of dough and place the sliced tomatoes on top. Cover with the smaller round; bring the edges over and seal them well. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; place on a non-stick baking sheet, and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve.

Gail Greco is the food editor of Carefree Cooking; a field editor for Romantic Homes magazine; and a contributor to many other publications.  She has authored more than 15 books on cooking, decorating, and home lifestyle.

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