2 tb Butter or margarine
1 md Onion; chopped
1 1/2 lb Lean lamb (pref.leg), ground
1 ts Ground cinnamon (or more)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 c Tomato sauce or puree
– diluted w/ water & warmed
1/2 c Chopped fresh parsley
5 sl Toast (thin)
1 1/2 c Milk
3 Eggs; lightly beaten
3/4 c Grated mizithra & kefalotyri
12 Commercial filo sheets
6 tb Butter; melted
In a frying pan, heat the 2 tablespoons butter and cook the onion
until translucent. Add the lamb and cook gently, while mashing and
stirring with a fork until the raw color disappears. Season the meat
with cinnamon, salt, pepper, then stir in the tomato sauce and
parsley. Cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. (This much can be
cooked a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator.) Meanwhile,
soak the toast slices in the milk to make a soft mixture, and add to
the meat along with the eggs and cheese. Mix the filling with a
wooden spoon, taste, and add more cinnamon if you like.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 x 3 inch baking pan. Spread 6
filo sheets, brushing melted butter in between the sheets, making
sure the pasry fits the sides and bottom of the pan. Pour in the
filling, spreading evenly with a spatula. Cover with the remaining 6
filo sheets, brushing with butter as before. Flute the edges with two
fingers or a fork and brush the top with butter. Using a sharp knife,
score the top 3 filo sheets into square or diamond shapes. Bake for
40 to 50 minutes in a moderately slow oven (325 F), raising the
temperature to 350 F during the last 10 minutes. Remove from the oven
and let stand on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut into diamonds or squares
and serve warm.
Yields
10 servings