Middle Eastern Lasagna - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 lbs ground beef or 2 lbs ground lamb
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
6 ounces tomato paste
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed if frozen
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (3/4 stick)
parsley, to garnish

Preparation

Meat:.
Over medium heat in large skillet, heat olive oil.
Add onion and saute 3-4 minutes.
Add meat and cook until done.
Drain grease/fat from meat/onion mixture.
Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, cumin and allspice, mixing until evenly coated.
Should be a thickened tomato sauce/paste - cook 3-5 minutes to achieve, if necessary.
Cheese:.
In large bowl, combine feta, ricotta, eggs and parsley and stir until blended.
Preheat oven to 375\u00b0F.
Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with melted butter.
Line bottom of dish with 4 sheets of phyllo (cover remaining phyllo with damp cloth to prevent drying) and brush with melted butter.
Spread 1/3 of meat filling over phyllo.
Spread 1/3 of cheese filling over meat filling.
Cover with 4 sheets of phyllo and brush with melted butter.
Repeat layers until meat and cheese mixture is used up.
Cover with remaining 4 sheets of phyllo and brush with butter.
Cover with foil and bake 30-40 minutes.
Remove foil and bake additional 10-15 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Note: Can be made a day ahead -- cover and refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature before baking.