How to Shop for Food

Refining your approach at the market

Last week I made a beet salad that launched my wife into hysterics.

“How do you make things taste this good?!,” she demanded. As far as she was concerned, we had no food in the house. There were some beets I had roasted a few days prior, some red onion, and random disparate ingredients lurking about in the fridge and pantry. In her eyes, there was no pathway leading to a meal, let alone a good one.

THE BEET SALAD IN QUESTION, pictured above: roasted beets tossed with sliced red onion and parsley, dressed in sherry vinegar and blood orange agrumato. Finished with Robiola cheese and pistachio. All cobbled together, but insanely tasty!

I love these mealtime challenges, making something from “nothing.”

This dish led to a discussion about how I think about food/cooking, and how I approach the market or grocery each week. My techniques, which are natural to me, were revelatory to her. We had never discussed them before. And if this approach was an eye-opener for her, my assumption is that you, dear reader, may find some utility to apply to your own meals.

Therefore, I declare, in the best John Wilson voice I can muster:

I’m Brooks Reitz, and this is How to Shop for Food.