Phyllo Meat Pie (Egyptian Goulash)

Crunchy and nicely spiced! I found this recipe at The Mediterranean Dish. I added a little bit of crushed red pepper and parsley to it because I was afraid it was going to be bland, but it wasn't.

Phyllo Meat Pie (Egyptian Goulash)

16 oz. pkg. of frozen phyllo dough, thawed in its package

1 c. extra virgin olive oil OR 1/2 c. olive oil combined with 1/2 c. melted butter

1 egg

1 c. milk.

Filling:

1 c. chopped onions

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef

1 t. ground allspice

1 t. garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Carefully lay the thawed phyllo dough sheets between two lightly damp kitchen towels.

Begin with preparing the meat filling. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick pan.On medium-high heat, saute the chopped onions briefly. Add the ground beef. Cook until fully browned, tossing regularly. Remove the pan from the heat briefly to drain any fat, then return back to the stove. Add in the spices and stir to fully combine. Remove from the heat.

To assemble the phyllo pie, lay three to four sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Fold any excess dough in. Brush the top phyllo sheet very generously with the melted butter and oil mixture. Repeat this step as you lay three to four sheets of phyllo at a time in the baking pan until you have used up 1/2 of the phyllo sheets.

On top of this half of phyllo sheets, spread the meat filling evenly.

Layer the remaining sheets on top of the meat repeating the same process as before (three or four sheets at a time and butter the top sheet) until the phyllo sheets are used up.

Brush the top sheet very generously with the butter and olive oil mixture. With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into 12 squares.

Beat milk and egg together with salt and pepper and pour evenly over the pie.

Place the phyllo meat pie on the middle rack for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until cooked through and golden brown.