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When I have people over for Shabbat dinner during the winter I always make some kind of kugel as a side dish. But in the summer, nobody wants a warm kugel, so I have to come up with a nice rotation of cold salads that don’t bore me to death.

This one I got from my ex’s mom. She didn’t like that I was dating her son, but she really didn’t like that I had never cooked with black eyed peas, so she taught me this recipe, and it pleases guests long after I split with her little boy.

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Black Eyed Pea Salad

2 cups dried black eyes peas

¾ diced red onion

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 medium red pepper, diced

5 scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup minced fresh parsley

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

¾ teaspoon salt

Soak the black eyed peas in 6 cups of water for 6 to 8 hours or over-night.

Drain the beans, put them in a pot with 6 cups of fresh water and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes, just until tender.

Drain the beans and transfer them to a medium size bowl. (Or if you don’t want to deal with cooking the beans yourself, buy two cans of pre-soaked beans and drain them).

Stir in the red onion and garlic. When the peas are cool, stir in the red pepper, scallions and parsley. Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, tamari and salt. Stir the dressing into the salad and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8. Keeps in the fridge for days.

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