Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Karen Mintzias 2 Eggs; separated
2 tb Butter or margarine 1 1/2 c Thick Saltsa Aspri
1 sm Shallot or onion 1/2 c Grated mizithra cheese
1 1/2 lb Veal, ground -OR- kefalotyri cheese
1/2 c Chopped tomatoes 1/2 ts Grated nutmeg
-OR- tomato juice Heavy greaseproof paper
1 Cinnamon stick; -OR- -(about 20 by 20 inches)
1 ts -Ground Cinnamon 12 Filo pastry sheets
Salt; if necessary 1/3 c Butter or margarine
Freshly ground black pepper - melted and warm
1 ts Chopped fresh basil 2 Eggs, hard-cooked; sliced
-(more if desired) 1 tb Chopped fresh parsley

Heat the butter in a large frying pan, then saute the onion until soft. Add
the meat, mashing it with a fork until the raw color disappears. Add the
tomato and cinnamon, cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring once or
twice. Remove the lid and season judiciously (if the cheese is salty,
don't add salt until the very end). Stir in the basil, then remove the
cinnamon stick and cool. Using a wooden spoon, mix the egg whites into the
meat. Meanwhile, prepare the saltsa aspri (it must be thick) and combine
with the egg yolks, cheese, and nutmeg. Taste to see if salt is needed.

To make the loaf, spread the baking paper flat on your work surface. Lay a
sheet of filo (keeping the rest covered with a damp towel or waxed paper)
in the center of the paper and brush with butter. Continue laying filo,
one sheet on top of another, brushing each with butter, to make a large
"base" on which to roll the meat loaf (about 15 x 15 inches). Spread half
of the saltsa aspri in the center of the filo, alowing wide margins for
turning later. Spread the meat mixture over the sauce to a length of about
9 inches. Lay the egg slices over the meat, cover with the remaining sauce,
and sprinkle with parsley. Turn the edges of the filo up over the meat and
roll into a loaf. Fold the paper over the loaf, secure it, and place, seam
side down, in a baking pan. Bake for 1 hour in moderate oven (350 F),
removing the paper after 35 minutes to allow the filo to get crisp. Brush
the outer surface of the filo with butter or margarine for a higher golden
chestnut color.

With wide spatulas, lift the loaf onto a warm platter. Serve immediately,
with fresh green salad, black olives, and a heady wine.

Source: The Food of Greece - by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles ISBN:
0-517-27888-X

Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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