Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

It took me a while to fall in love with quinoa. It was a recipe I prepared a few years ago from a cookbook that taught me the proper way to season it and, since then, I've been hooked. The trick, I've learned, is to make a dressing that is incorporated into the cooked quinoa. If you just drizzle it with oil and citrus and a sprinkle of salt, it won't distribute the flavor and, instead, you'll be left with sections that are intensely seasoned and others that are lacking it.

This salad is definitely not lacking flavor. I found myself building off each element. I started with the dressing, which is primarily a mixture of fresh herbs (mint, basil and parsley) and lime juice. There's a bit of minced ginger in there, adding even more brightness to the dish. The berries and feta were the last to go in. At first I thought, "Berries and quinoa. Is that weird?" I threw some of the quinoa mixture into a separate bowl, topped it with some blueberries and raspberries and feta. First bite. I knew. We had a winner. Even my father, who gave it a quizzical look when I passed the bowl to him, ate his serving. Always a sign that a recipe is a success.

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta

Ingredients
1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and dried
1 pint raspberries, rinsed and dried
1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta
3 tablespoons minced mint
1 tablespoon minced basil
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
Kosher salt
Juice of one lime 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. To cook the quinoa, add the quinoa and water to a pot and bring to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed, approximately 18 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together minced mint, ginger, lime juice, olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.

3. Transfer quinoa to a large serving bowl. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour dressing over quinoa and toss to combine.

4. Gently mix in red onion and feta and most of the berries, reserving a handful of each. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add a little more salt, about another 1/2 teaspoon.

5. Distribute the remaining berries on top and serve.

Why I Love Taking Pictures With My Phone (+ Some Tips): Part 2

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

I used to take my camera all over the place, lugging a DSLR and a 50mm to every restaurant. I'd try to remain inconspicuous as I grabbed shots of the dining room and each plate that was brought to the table. I'm sure I wasn't as subtle as I thought I was being.

Things have changed a lot over these last three years. Smart phones have effected my experience as a photographer. It's allowed me to not only develop my photographic style, but it's given me the chance to hone my skills. Since my last post on smart phone photography, the quality of the cameras has gotten exceedingly better. I never thought I'd get to the point where I'd look at a picture on my computer and think, "Did I take that on my phone or my camera?" Everything is crisp and clean, with very little grain. It's a very exciting time in the world of photography and, today, I want to go over a few points about what I think about when I'm making photographs with my iPhone. In the below examples, you may see a slight difference in the quality. The majority were taken with an iPhone 6+ but others are older and were photographed using an iPhone 5s.

You can view my earlier post here: PART 1

1. Tell a story

There's always a story to be told. What that story is and how it's told is up to the photographer. I spend a lot of time thinking about what it is I want to say in a picture. Rarely is it a closeup of a finished dish. I like to pull back and reveal something else in the scene or show action. Food is so much more than a pretty plate. It's about how it's prepared, who is preparing it, how it's being served, where it's being served, how it's consumed (You get the point). Sometimes that's much more compelling than a beauty shot.

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

2. Location

I think showing where you're dining - the vibe of the restaurant, the movement of the dining room, the decor - is just as visually interesting as the food. Look around and you'll find a lot to capture, from the table setting to the excitement of the open kitchen to the sign hanging outside the front door.

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

3. Ingredients

It's not uncommon for me to return from the market, unload the bags, and get to work setting up scenes of chopped up fruit and vegetables, dressed fish, or plates of cheese and sliced bread. Unadulterated (uncooked) ingredients are a joy to play with because there are endless ways to capture them. A container of kumquats pop on a dark, rustic surface, while some bunches of fresh herbs pairs perfectly when placed atop a sheet of parchment. It gets the creative juices flowing when you start with these images that, a way to warm you up before you get to the final dish.

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

4. Remember, there's a whole world outside of food

I know it's funny to say this, but I think it's important for food photographers/bloggers/Instagrammers, to take pictures of things other than food. It teaches us, as artists, to look at the beauty that surrounds us every day. Spend time walking around the town or city you live in or go into the backyard with your child or dog. Take pictures of friends and family. It's all about capturing moments.

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

For more tips and tricks on taking pictures with your smart phone, check out my first post. And you can follow along on my food journeys over on Instagram.

Locations featured in this post (in order of appearance): Ostra - Boston, MA Neptune Oyster - Boston, MA Lone Star Taco - Boston, MA Egg - Brooklyn, NY Coppa - Boston, MA Blackbird Doughnuts - Boston, MA Soc's Ice Cream - Saugus, MA Cafe ArtScience - Cambridge, MA Mei Mei//SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA

For more restaurant photography, head on over to my portfolio page.

Smokey Shrimp Burgers with Fried Oysters

It's hard not to feel a little left out this time of year. You get invited to a barbecue and you know that there will be very little for you to eat. Potato salad is a wonderful thing, but it's not going to soak up the bottle of rosé you'll consume over the course of the afternoon. And, look, I totally get it. Burgers and hot dogs and chicken are cheap and easy to throw together. Some grilled veggies will make their way into the mix to give the vegetarians their fix. But most people are nervous about serving fish to a crowd. How do you prepare it? Will people eat it? Is it going to weird folks out?

I think most will get behind any kind of burger. On a hot summer day, who doesn't want to chow down on a big, messy sandwich while swigging from an ice cold beer? Which brings me to my point: seafood burgers are just as wonderful as the beef variety. Take, for instance, this shrimp burger. The patty is a combination of shrimp, grated apple and onion, some salt and pepper, and, for smokiness, a couple teaspoons of Chipotle Tabasco.

One might say I went a little overboard with the fried oysters, avocado, and mayo. But, really, when it comes to burgers, can you really go too far? No. The answer is no. Always.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Tabasco. Over the course of the year, I will be creating recipes featuring the Tabasco Family of Flavors and this is the first of those posts. All opinions expressed on my site are my own.

You can check out my recap from my trip to visiting Tabasco here.

Smokey Shrimp Burgers with Fried Oysters

Yield 4 shrimp burgers

Ingredients For the shrimp burgers 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 egg white 1 tablespoon grated onion 1 tablespoon grated apple 1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt .25 teaspoons black pepper 3 teaspoons Chipotle Tabasco 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro 1/3 cup bread crumbs Canola oil

For smokey mayonnaise 1/2 cup mayonnaise (we're a fan of Duke's) 1.5 teaspoons Chipotle Tabasco

For fried oysters 8 oysters, shucked and liquid drained 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon Kosher salt .75 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Burger toppings 1 avocado, sliced Mixed greens 4 hamburger buns or English muffins, lightly toasted or grilled

Directions

For the shrimp burgers

1. Coarsely chop half the shrimp and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the remaining shrimp, egg white, grated onion and apple, salt, black pepper, and Chipotle Tabasco and pulse until there's a mixture of finely minced pieces with a couple of coarsely chopped pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the chopped shrimp, bread crumbs and cilantro, until thoroughly combined.

3. For each burger, take 1/3 cup of the mixture and form into four, 1 inch thick patties (roughly 4 inches round). At this point, you can cook them immediately or wrap and freeze for later use.

4. Set a large skillet with a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers 3-4 minutes on each side until they have browned and the edges turn pink. If all the patties don't fit in the skillet, repeat with remaining burgers.

For the fried oysters

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Add the oysters to the flour mixture and toss until evenly coated.

2. Pour vegetable oil in a large, deep saucepan so it comes up 3 inches. Heat the oil to 360 degrees F.

3. Using a large slotted spoon, carefully place the oysters in the oil. Cook until golden brown, approximately 4-5 minutes. Line a plate with two layers of paper towels. Remove the oysters using the slotted spoon and transfer to the paper towel.

For the smokey mayo

1. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with the Chipotle Tabasco.

To assemble the burgers

Spread the smokey mayo on both halves of the buns/English muffins. Place the shrimp burger on top of the bottom half, followed by the avocado, greens, and fried oysters and remaining half of bun.