Lucy says that she took the recipe from a “redneck-lawyer, rouge-gourmand friend,” gave it a twist and put it on her menu where it thrives. Today she makes it in 20-gallon batches and still has trouble keeping up with demand.

Although Lucy serves the L.A. Caviar as an appetizer, the dish would shine as a crowd-pleasing side dish at barbecues and casual family gatherings and/or as a contribution salad at potluck parties and tailgate picnics.

L.A. (LOWER ALABAMA) CAVIAR

Yield: 20 to 25 servings as an appetizer; about 8 servings as a side dish or salad.

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Saltine crackers or tortilla chips

1. Make dressing by combining vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a jar. Cover and shake jar vigorously to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

2. Place black-eyed peas in a large glass bowl. Add tomatoes, green, red and yellow peppers, onion and parsley.

3. Pour dressing over pea mixture and toss well to combine ingredients.

4. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight before serving.

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Held outdoors, rain or shine, every Wednesday and Saturday from May to November (and indoors, on Saturdays, in winter), the market draws the most crowds on summer Saturdays when vendors set up about 160 booths around four long blocks surrounding Wisconsin’s majestic State Capital building.

If it were made for a movie, the Madison market couldn’t be more perfect.

Locals show up when the market opens at 6 a.m., chefs come around 7 a.m., tourists join the crowd at 10 a.m. and students drag themselves out of bed getting to the market about an hour before it closes at 2 p.m. The array creates a charming cast of thousands who stroll counterclockwise around the booths, interacting as if they were attending one big happy neighborhood party. Street musicians, laughing children and picnickers lounging on the capital’s green grounds add to the Midwest dream scene, but it is the vendors and their products that play starring roles.

Wisconsin farmers man the booths selling their own homegrown seasonal produce and farm-related products (flowers, cheese, honey, maple syrup, jams, breads, etc.).  Although everything for sale is of such high quality as to make one want to move to Madison and become a dedicated locavore, in mid-summer, particularly rave reviews go to the pick of the peak produce: tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers.

TWO BLOCKBUSTER WAYS TO USE THE BOUNTY

GAZPACHO

Yield: 6 servings.

2 large ripe tomatoes, trimmed and cut into large chunks

4 cups tomato juice

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks

1 large green pepper, trimmed and cut into large chunks

1 small onion, peeled and quartered

1 large clove garlic, peeled and put through a press

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 to 3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

Celery salt

Salt

Pepper

Ground cumin (optional)

Croutons, for serving

Working in small batches, put tomatoes in the jar of a blender. Add a little tomato juice and blend until finely chopped, but not pureed. Transfer blended mixture to a large bowl. Repeat blending with cucumber, green pepper and onion. Add any remaining tomato juice, garlic, oil and vinegar to blended mixture in bowl. Sprinkle lightly with celery salt, salt and pepper. Add a little cumin if desired. Stir and taste. Correct seasoning. Refrigerate in a covered container until you are ready to serve. Serve chilled soup with croutons.

GREEK SALAD

Yield: 6 servings.

4 large ripe tomatoes

2 slender cucumbers

2 green peppers

4 scallions

About 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

About 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large clove garlic, peeled

Trim tomatoes and cut into bite-size chunks.

Trim ends from cucumbers. (If the cucumber skin is tough, peel it. Young slender cucumbers do not need peeling.) Halve cucumbers and remove seeds. Cut cucumbers into bite-size chunks.

Trim peppers and cut into bite-size chunks.

Trim scallions and cut white part into 1/4-inch pieces.

Put all cut vegetables in a large bowl.

Add feta and olives. Sprinkle with oregano. Toss lightly.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Meanwhile make dressing: Combine olive oil, lemon juice and salt in a small jar. Cut garlic into slivers and add. Set dressing aside until ready to serve.

Just before serving, remove garlic and pour dressing over vegetables. Toss lightly.

Serve.

Suzanne Goin meets the press.

Spent an afternoon sipping and sampling as well as watching and photographing the food paparazzi who were sipping and sampling and watching and photographing chef Suzanne Goin and actress JoBeth Williams in Suzanne’s Los Angeles restaurant Lucques. Suzanne is caterer of choice for the awards and JoBeth represents the show committee that helped choose the menu.

JoBeth Williams

Both women agreed that cooking for the 1250 super-stars and their entourages attending the event presented some challenges, not the least of which was choosing the five menu items that were to be arranged on one plate and placed on the table before the ceremony begins. Nominees for menu items had to meet rigid criteria. According to JoBeth, the food had to be:

1. Beautiful;

2. Able to sit at room temperature for a long period of time without diminishing in flavor or appearance;

3. Easy to eat (nothing to drip on satin gowns, nothing to leave small particles in the perfectly capped, whitened teeth of presenters and acceptors);

4. Accommodating to different diets (vegetarian, low calorie, no sugar, etc. etc. etc.);  and

5. Truly tasty.

And the menu winners were:

Blood Oranges with Dates, Arugula and Parmesan

Beluga Lentils with Carrots, Pinenuts and Feta

Slow-Roasted King Salmon with Cucumbers, Yogurt and Ginger-Mint Chutney

Slow-Roasted Lamb with Chickpeas, Black Olives and Feta Salsa Verde

Fresh Baked Herbed Crostini with Parmesan, Chopped Thyme and Parsley

ARUGULA WITH BLOOD ORANGES, DATES AND PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

(Adapted from a recipe supplied by Suzanne Goin. Suzanne’s recipe calls for olive oil to dress the dish. The Blood Orange Vinaigrette recipe comes from one of Suzanne’s chefs at her Los Angeles restaurant AOC and makes a flavorful substitute for the oil alone.)

Yield: 6 servings.

4 large blood oranges

1/4 pound chunk Parmigiano Reggiano

2 ounces arugula

15 Deglet Noor dates, pitted and halved, lengthwise

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or Blood Orange Vinaigrette, recipe follows)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut away all peel and white pith from oranges. Cut oranges, crosswise, into thin circles; set aside.

Place the cheese, flat side down, on a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, shave cheese into 18 large, thin slices.

Scatter 1/3 of the arugula on a large platter.

Arrange 1/3 of the oranges, dates and cheese over the arugula. Repeat layering, letting the ingredients weave together, but not pile up on one another.

Drizzle oil (or vinaigrette) over the top of ingredients and season lightly with salt and pepper.

BLOOD ORANGE VINAIGRETTE

Yield: 1 cup.

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

About 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or enough to cover shallot)

6 tablespoons blood orange juice

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put shallots in a small bowl. Add lemon juice to cover. Let sit 10 minutes. Stir in blood orange juice and vinegar. Slowly whisk in oil.

HERBED CROSTINI

Yield: 6 crostini.

6 slices of baguette, each 9-inches long and 1/4-inches thick

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Brush both sides of bread with oil.

Place bread, in one layer, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmesan over top of each piece of bread. Combine herbs and sprinkle top of Parmesan coated bread, dividing herb mixture evenly among the 6 slices of bread.

Set baking sheet in oven and bake until bread is golden and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes.

FAMILY CELEBRATION DINNER

Lets run the numbers:

94 glasses

89 plates and platters

32 guests

9 bottles of wine

7 roasted chickens

6 patchwork quilts (to cover the folding tables set end to end making one long table)

Sweet Leisure Cake

4 fragrant flowers in centerpieces

3 times the recipe for FAMILY-FAVORITE PARTY SALAD

2 great desserts (Sweet Leisure Cake and

decorated cookies

1 happy family

DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

cheese

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

SALAD

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup unseasoned fine dry bread crumbs

1 pound romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces and chilled

1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed

Combine dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and sauté, stirring constantly, until crumbs are lightly browned. Set crumbs aside to cool.

Put lettuce in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing over lettuce and toss gently until dressing evenly coats the lettuce pieces.

Pour crumbs over top of lettuce: don’t toss. Coarsely grate cauliflower and sprinkle over bread crumbs; don’t toss.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve salad without tossing.

Makes 6 servings.

Before long Persephone, Hades wife, learned of the affair. Unlike contemporary wives who might put on a good-wife face in the same situation, Persephone flew into a jealous rage and stomped her rival into the ground.

Poor Hades. What a dilemma. On one hand was his angry wife; he couldn’t risk restoring Mintha to her original form. On the other hand he couldn’t let Mintha be lost and gone forever.

So what did he do?

Hades raised Mintha from the ground in the form of the herb we call mint. He gave mint a charming sweetness and exciting flavor that adds spirit to any dish. He made the herb strong, able to withstand much abuse. And (some say to annoy his wife) he gave the herb an enchanting fragrance that fills the air with seductive scent whenever the plant is stepped upon.

TWO FAVORITE MINT RECIPES

Mojito

Put 10 fresh mint leaves and 2 lime wedges in a tall glass. Smash with a muddler for 10 to 20 seconds. Add 2 ounces rum, 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice and 1/2 ounce simple syrup. Stir. Fill glass with ice and top off with club soda. Gently stir again. Garnish with a lime wheel, a sugar cane stick (optional) and additional mint.

Makes 1  serving.

Cucumber and Mint Salad

Peel 4 slender cucumbers. Cut off ends of each cucumber, cutting to beginning of seeds. Halve cucumber lengthwise and with a spoon, scrape out and discard seeds. Cut cucumbers, crosswise, into 1/4 inch-thick pieces. Put pieces in a large bowl. Add 1 small peeled and thinly sliced red onion, 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and 2 to 4 whole, dried red chilies. Combine 1-1/2 cups cold water, 1-1/2 cups rice vinegar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon salt; stir to dissolve sugar. Pour liquid over cucumber mixture and stir lightly. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve well chilled.

Makes 6 servings.

Grace Bay beach

Just returned from a fabulous trip to my favorite archipelago, Turks and Caicos—40 islands and cays strung along the blue neck of the Atlantic Ocean like gorgeous shimmering pearls. I stayed on the main island, Providenciales, or “Provo” as locals call it, in Ocean Club West—a peaceful, lushly landscaped resort with individually owned condos renting to vacationers. (I’m going to try to do good deeds the rest of my days so that I can come back in the next life as an Ocean Club owner).

As it happens, Provo, which is located about 550 miles southwest of Miami, has the world’s best beach. Don’t take my word for it. Ask anyone who has ever been. Grace Bay beach has to be Mother Nature’s particular favorite sandy playground as she stretched indescribable-soft, dazzling-white, powder-sugar sand over 12 miles and garnished the glory with 350 days of sunshine, gentle trade winds to fan the heat and clear warm water wearing every vibrant shade of blue. No cruise ships dock in Provo (hallelujah), so the beach is uncrowded and as peaceful as a nap.

In addition to divine beaches (not only on Provo, but throughout the islands) Turks and Caicos is famous for diving, snorkeling and conch (pronounced “konk”).

Conch shells

The world’s only conch farm is found on Provo and those wanting to learn about this large marine snail can tour the farm, but savvy tourists learn most in Provo’s restaurants where the almost-totally flavorless, chewy conch is made ever so palatable.

Not-to-miss conch dishes on Provo include conch fritters at Ocean Club’s Cabana Bar & Grill, conch ravioli at Coco Bistro, the conch burger at Ocean Club West’s Seaside Café, and all things conch at Da Conch Shack.

I could give you a recipe for conch, but I have a better souvenir from Provo for you—a recipe for the award winning beet mojito served at Ocean Club Resorts. Yes, you read it right—beet—the veggie, and OMG, of many ways to consume beets, a mojito beats them all.

OCEAN CLUB RESORTS’ BEET MOJITO

Beet mojito served at Ocean Club West

1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

A few sprigs mint

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Ice

1 tablespoon beet puree (boil beets until soft and puree in a blender until smooth)

1-1/2 ounces rum

Sprite

Garnish (optional): fresh mint, lime wedge and sugar cane stick

In a tall tumbler or highball glass, muddle 5 lime wedges with mint and sugar until well crushed and juicy. Fill glass with ice. Add rum and beet puree. Stir well. Fill remaining glass with Sprite. Stir gently. Garnish with 1 lime wedge, a sprig of mint and a stick of sugar cane.

APPLE HAZELNUT AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Adapted from recipe supplied by Tom Power Jr., chef, Fat Canary.

Yield: 4 servings

1/2 cup port

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons currents

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

About 4 heaping cups mixed baby lettuces

About 1/3 cup skinned, toasted hazelnuts (see note)

1 apple, cored and cut into slender strips

About 4 heaping tablespoons micro greens or sprouts

4 wedges (about 1 ounce each) good blue cheese

In a nonreactive pan, bring port and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces and becomes syrupy, about 7 minutes.

Pour hot port syrup over currents and let seep 2 minutes. Drain currents and set syrup and currents aside to cool completely.

Prepare vinaigrette: Whisk 1 tablespoon of the reserved port syrup with vinegar and oil until well blended. Toss lettuce with vinaigrette. Mound lettuce in center of each of four serving plates. Sprinkle hazelnuts and currents over and around lettuce, giving each serving an equal amount. Arrange 1/4 of apple strips haphazardly over each serving of lettuce, and then top each serving with 1 tablespoon micro greens or sprouts. Drizzle remaining port syrup on top of and around salad on each plate. Garnish each serving with a wedge of blue cheese. Serve immediately.

Note: To toast and skin hazelnuts: spread shelled nuts in one layer on a baking sheet. Put in a preheated 300 degree oven and roast, shaking pan once or twice to redistribute nuts, until skins “break” and nuts turn a light golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and set aside 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skin (not all skin will come off). Cool completely.