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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