Greek Tuna Steaks with Phyllo Potato Knish and Mixed Greens Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese, and Fig Vinaigrette

In a plug for more vegetarian items I need to place the salad front and center today! I'm not sure if it was my Moroccan roots or not, but I could not eat enough of this fig salad. It had a sharp taste which blended perfectly with the creaminess of the goat cheese and the crispness of the mixed greens.

In addition to the salad I made Greek Tuna (hoping that Mediterranean figs went well with Greek spices) and then added Phyllo Knish. While this Jewish addition might seem to stick out as not belonging, the use of phyllo dough instead of a typical bread dough actually rounded out the meal perfectly, bringing a unique Greek twist to the more commonly Jewish food. Many of these dishes also turned out rather pretty, so make this menu when you are working to impress your guests!

Mixed Greens Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese, and Fig Vinaigrette
This delicious creation once again has me sending my gratitude to Cooking Light. I made a bit more dressing than asked for, but also changed the proportions a bit. I used about twice as many figs at first which then left me with a rather thick dressing. I added additional lemon juice, balsamic vinaigrette, and water to fix the consistency and a garlic clove to even the flavors. It left it with a very strong fig essence while still allowing the blend to come through.

Note: I tried using a blender at first but the blades had no luck with the stickiness of figs. Within a minute the figs were coating the edge of the blender and the blades had no impact. I ended up using my food processor which worked quite well, but in the future I would not even bother with the blender.

I tossed the dressing with the salad right away and took the leftovers to work for lunch for the next two days. This salad keeps well for several days!

Phyllo Potato Knish
Oh, knish. One of my favorites. I actually love them with mushrooms and spinach as well (in the phyllo dough) but here we will talk about potato knish. To start, I sliced three pounds of potato into cubes. Boil a large pot of water. Add the potatoes, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until very soft. The length of boiling will depend on the size of the cubes. I also left the skin on as I enjoy potato skin, but you can remove it before boiling if you prefer.

As the potatoes are boiling saute 1.5 cups of onion in a pan with a little bit of olive oil and a generous dose of salt and pepper. I used fake salt (no MSG) and green and black pepper. I probably added 1 tbsp of (fake) salt and 1 tbsp of pepper. You can afford to be liberal with salt when it's meaningless!

Place the soft potatoes in a bowl and you should be able to mash them easily. If not, you did not boil them for long enough. Add the onion mixture. Mix well and try a little taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed. (Remember, 3 lbs is a lot of potatoes.)

Using dethawed phyllo dough, place a piece of wax paper on the counter and spray it with Pam. Place the phyllo sheets on top. Place another piece of wax paper (greased side down) on top of the sheets. Place a damp paper towel across the wax paper. The towel should NOT be touching the phyllo dough. You want to keep it from drying out without getting it wet.

Preheat the oven to 400 and have a greased cookie sheet or two ready. Place another piece of greased wax paper in front of you as your work surface. Take three sheets of phyllo dough, making sure the remaining ones stay covered. Spray the top sheet with Pam. Using about 1.5 tbsp of potato mixture at a time, place small circles (like you would cookie dough) far enough part so that you have 8 spots on the phyllo dough in front of you. That should be four across and two down. Cut the phyllo dough between the dollops so you have 8 squares. Fold up the edges and make sure the potato mixture is securely inside the phyllo dough. Use more or less potato mixture as appropriate.

Place the mini knish onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the phyllo dough on the top has browned. They are best served warm.

Greek Tuna Steaks
Surprisingly, the fish comes last today. I found it easier to get the knish in the oven, quickly whip the salad together, and then turn my attention to the tuna. This recipe is quite simple! And, you can feel free to follow along with Cooking Light without asking too many questions. I add a few more sprinkles of spice in the pan to make sure the tuna steaks were well coated, but the idea here is that simple is often best.

I cooked my tuna just through - meaning it was no longer pink in the middle but it had just ceased to be. If you prefer it pinker or more well cooked you will need to continue to check the fish and remove it from the stove accordingly.

Serve up the tuna and knish on a plate with an accompanying salad bowl. Enjoy!