Summery Meat Pie - Kreatopita Therini

4 scallions, chopped
3 Tbsp butter or oil
1 lb veal, beef or lamb (ground)
4 sm Zucchini, scrubbed, cubed
1 sm eggplant, cubed
1 cup canned tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander or allspice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup Grated cheese (Mizithra)
bread crumbs, if necessary
10 commercial filo sheets
6 Tbsp butter, melted

Saute the scallions in the 3 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan and add the meat. Simmer a few minutes, then toss in the zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes, adding the coriander and oregano during the last 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. (The mixture should be thick, if any liquid remains, dust lightly with bread crumbs to absorb.)

Line a 9 x 12 x 3-inch baking pan with 6 filo sheets, buttering each. Spread the filling over the filo evenly, then top with the remaining filo sheets, buttering each as before. Score the top few filo sheets into squares or diamonds.

Bake in a medium oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden in color and the dough is crisp. Remove from the oven, and let stand for 10 minutes, then cut and serve warm.

Yield: 10 servings