Recipe - Beef Pita Greek Style

2 pound Ground Beef
1 Med. Onion, Chopped
4 Small Cloves Garlic, Minced
One half pound Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced
1 Bay Leaf
1 One fourth teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Chil Powder
One half teaspoon Cumin Powder
One fourth teaspoon Cinnamon
8 ounce (1 cn) Tomato Sauce
1/3 cup Burgundy Or Rose Wine
1 Large Egg
8 ounce (1 pk) Cream Cheese,Softened
1 cup Creamed Cottage Cheese
One half cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
One half cup Unsalted Butter, Melted *
8 ounce (One half Pk) Phyllo Leaves **
One fourth cup Dry Bread Crumbs

GARNISHES
Parlsey Sprigs
12 Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Fruit Kabobs (opt.)

* Unsalted margarine, melted, can also be used. ** Phyllo Leaves are
greek pastry and they should be defrosted.
~ ~
Combine ground beef, onion and garlic in a large fryingpan; 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 9inch 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.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini