Ohio City has had a public market for more than a century, and it is still the first place our cooks go when they want to know what is good this week. The hall holds butchers, bakers, cheese counters and spice sellers; the stalls outside carry produce from farms a short drive away. Walking it is the quickest way to learn what the season is doing.
What we look for
We do not shop the market for everything. Our fish comes from a supplier on the coast, and our ham and sherry come from Spain. The market is where we find the things that change from week to week and taste best close to home:
- Summer squash and courgettes, which we grill and dress with mint and olive oil.
- Peppers of every kind, from sweet bells to hot wax peppers.
- Tomatoes for pan con tomate, bought ripe and used the same day.
- Herbs, eggs and the odd find nobody planned for.
Letting it change the menu
A good walk usually ends with a change to the specials board. A crate of small, firm courgettes becomes a grilled plate with romesco. A glut of tomatoes becomes a cold soup. The menu keeps its backbone, the rices and the classics, but its edges move with whatever the stalls are full of.
The market writes the specials. We just cook them.
It also keeps us honest. Buying from people we see every week means we hear about it when a crop is poor, and we plan around it instead of pretending. That conversation is part of the job, and one of its pleasures.