Beef Pita, Greek Style
- Ready In:
- 1hr 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 21
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 907.18 g beef, Ground
- 1 medium onion, Chopped
- 4 clove garlic, Minced
- 226.79 g fresh mushrooms, Sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6.16 ml salt
- 2.46 ml chili powder
- 2.46 ml cumin powder
- 1.23 ml cinnamon
- 226.79 g can tomato sauce
- 78.78 ml Burgundy wine or 78.78 ml rose wine
- 1 large egg
- 226.79 g packet cream cheese, Softened
- 236.59 ml cream-style cottage cheese
- 118.29 ml feta cheese, Crumbled
- 118.29 ml unsalted butter, Melted (Unsalted margarine, melted, can also be used.)
- 226.79 g phyllo pastry sheets, defrosted (1/2 Package)
- 59.14 ml dry breadcrumbs
-
GARNISHES
- 1 sprig parsley
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- fresh fruit kabobs (optional)
directions
- Combine ground beef, onion and garlic in a large frying-pan; cook, stirring frequently until beef loses pink color.
- Pour off drippings.
- Add mushrooms, bay leaf, salt, chili powder, cumin powder, and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender about 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce and wine; cook, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bay leaf.
- Cool while preparing cheese filling.
- Combine egg and cream cheese in medium bowl, beat with electric mixer until smooth.
- Stir in cottage and feta cheeses and blend.
- Brush 13 x 9-inch baking pan with melted butter.
- Line pan with 1 sheet of pastry, fitting pastry to contour of pan. (Pastry will come up over edges of pan.) Brush pastry with butter.
- Layer with 3 more pastry sheets, brushing each with butter.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over top.
- Spoon 1/5 of meat filling in layer over crumbs and 1/5 of the cheese filling over meat.
- Place 1 pastry sheet over cheese filling, crinkling to fit inside dimensions of pan; brush with butter and layer with 1/5 of the meat and 1/5 to the cheese fillings.
- Repeat with 3 more pastry sheets, crinkling each, brushing with butter and topping with fillings.
- Turn bottom pastry ends up over filling.
- Place remaining 8 pastry sheets smoothly over top, brushing each with butter.
- Using spatula, tuck top pastry sheets around inside edges of pan.
- With sharp knife, score top lightly in half lengthwise and sixths crosswise.
- (Do not cut through) Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F.) 1 hour or until top is golden brown.
- Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting along scored lines.
- Place a cherry tomato on each of 12 small wooden picks and insert pick in center of each serving.
- Garnish with parsley.
- Garnish individual servings with fresh fruit kabobs, if desired.
-
FRESH FRUIT KABOBS:
- To make fresh fruit kabobs, place chunks of fresh pineapple, cantaloupe, whole strwberries or other fruits in season on small wooden skewers.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
glitter
United States
I am an avid cook and recipe collector. I've been cooking since I was 9 yrs. old. I am the first American from my family so I cook many different European dishes, everything from west to east. If I had a month just to do what I would like to do...I would like to cook that month with a famous chef. I also write a bulletin for a Service to Mankind organization. Since I collect recipes anywhere I can see them, I've been asked to share them with my readers. So this site is wonderful not just for me!