Savory Italian Pie with Spinach, Red Peppers, Meat and Cheese

Serves 6 to 8 as a main dish

This recipe is based on one from Biba Caggiano called 'Pie of Four Tastes'. It is excellent. I made a few changes, mostly in choices for the meats and cheeses. Others can be used if you prefer. Biba uses a wine flavored pie crust that is delicious with this filling. The recipe, with a savory and sweet version, is in the similar and related recipes on the full page view linked above. You can substitute your favorite crust, but consider substituting wine for water, as it provides a very special flavor. This makes a wonderful vegetarian dish if you omit the meats and add more vegetables. Serve the pie as a main dish, first course, as part of a buffet or potluck event, in which case it will serve more people.

Ingredients

• 1 batch double crust pie dough (see recipe on the full page view)
• 5 large red bell peppers
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
• Approximately 1 tablespoon cream
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 pound prosciutto, ham or salami, thinly sliced
• 1 pound Italian fontina, sharp provolone or asiago cheese, thinly sliced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Make the pie dough and chill as directed. Char the peppers under a very hot broiler, on a grill or over a gas flame until skin is well charred. Place in a plastic bag until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, cut into slices about 1-inch thick; drain well. Sauté the spinach in the butter until tender. Drain excess liquid; add the cream (just enough to moisten slightly) and Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Roll half of the pie dough and place in the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan, making certain the edges come up over the sides of the pan. Place a layer of meat slices in bottom. Top with some of the spinach, then peppers and then cheese. Continue to layer, ending with cheese slices. It should make 3 layers in all. Roll out remaining dough and place on top. Crimp together the edges of the bottom and top crusts. Brush the top with the beaten egg; prick so that steam can escape. Bake until crust is golden and done, about 1 hour. Allow pie to cool on a rack at least 15 minutes before serving. It is equally delicious warm or room temperature.