Title: Beef pita, greek style
 Categories: Beef, Meats
      Yield: 12 Servings
 
      2 lb Ground Beef
      1 ea Med. Onion, Chopped
      4 ea Small Cloves Garlic, Minced
    1/2 lb Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced
      1 ea Bay Leaf
  1 1/4 ts Salt
    1/2 ts Chil Powder
    1/2 ts Cumin Powder
    1/4 ts Cinnamon
      8 oz (1 cn) Tomato Sauce
    1/3 c  Burgundy Or Rose Wine
      1 ea Large Egg
      8 oz (1 pk) Cream Cheese,Softened
      1 c  Creamed Cottage Cheese
    1/2 c  Crumbled Feta Cheese
    1/2 c  Unsalted Butter, Melted *
      8 oz (1/2 Pk) Phyllo Leaves **
    1/4 c  Dry Bread Crumbs

MMMMM-------------------------GARNISHES------------------------------
      1 x  Parlsey Sprigs
     12 ea Cherry Tomatoes
      1 x  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 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.