Kreatopita

These delicious Greek pastries were a recipe I developed in college and had no idea they were actually a thing until a few months ago when I was looking at Greek food and realized I already made something similar.

8 oz. Phyllo dough, or 1 tube from a frozen package, thawed
Butter flavored cooking spray
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, very finely chopped
1.5 lb. ground beef
1 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch cinnamon
pinch allspice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. grape juice concentrate
1 c. milk

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet and add the onion. Cook until the onion is just getting tender. Add the beef and keep cooking until the meat is just over halfway done. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, basil, salt, and pepper and cook until mostly cooked, but not all the way. 

Push the meat mixture aside and add the tomato paste. Saute the tomato for a minute or two before combining the meat and tomato mixture. 

Add the milk and grape concentrate and simmer gently until the liquid is gone. remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Crumble in the feta and mix to combine. 

Take the phyllo one sheet at a time. Cover the remaining phyllo with a lightly damp cloth to keep them from drying out. 

Spray lightly with the butter spray. Place a heaping tablespoon at the top of the sheet, right in the middle. Fold both sides in so you have one long strip, a third the original width, and it's covering the filling. 

Fold at an angle, like folding a flag, all the way down the length of the dough. 

Place on a pan, without touching, while you complete the remaining pastries. 

Bake at 425*F for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Enjoy immediately. 

How to freeze: Cook the filling and form the pastries as instructed. Lay out flat on a sheet and freeze solid. Once they are frozen layer in a large airtight container with plastic wrap or tin foil between layers. 

To cook from frozen, place on a baking tray and cook the same as above increasing the baking time to 30 minutes, still checking for the golden brown color.