VEGGIE PANZELLA

I never wanted my blog to be exclusively a cooking blog but cooking is just about all I do right now, other than study Spanish. We received news this week that there will be no visas out of Spain until at least December.  There are hundreds of missionaries waiting to leave.  The plan is that we will go to the MTC on the Monday after Thanksgiving and then if the visa is not here after our 2 week stint there, we will come home and wait.  It is very possible that we will not actually enter the mission until one year after our first call. (So start early) We are somewhat uncertain as to what they will do with us as we see some changes in the YSA program.  But Mike and I remind each other every day that we are not going to have any expectations because it will just set us up for disappointment--que sara, sara...it is Spanish.  So, until I have time to read, write or go to a movie again you might just see recipes here, which may be a couple of years.  

VEGGIE PANZELLA 

I love, love, love this salad.  With lovely fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and basil bursting with flavor in the garden (or the farmer's market, which is where I am now) it tastes wonderfully  of summer.  It is the pasta salad with bread instead.  I am going to give the ingredients with the amounts up to you.  Sometimes I make this small for two.   I will give you a dressing but if you have a good Italian dressing you like, it will work.

You want at least half bread.  Cube some crusty artisan bread into bite size pieces.  Pour a little olive oil in the bottom of a cookie sheet and grate some garlic onto it.  Toss your bread cubes in the oil and garlic and put into a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes or so until the edges start to brown but don't get it too hard.

Sometimes I stir fry a little cubed yellow squash or zucchini for 2 minutes.  I don't mind the raw zucchini but I like the yellow squash cooked a little.  Cut up some English cucumbers, lots of tomatoes in larger bite size pieces.  You can use cherry tomatoes but cut in half.  I like the juice of the tomatoes to penetrate the bread.  Toss in a little Parmesan cheese.  Cut up some soft Mozzarella cheese in big bites.  (thank you Costco)  Slice a good amount of Basil in generous slices, (not chopped)  Toss it all together with some Italian dressing.  It is fine sitting for awhile or even the next day.  

I like this dressing on it.  I dry my own tomatoes.  Nothing compares commercially.  I bought one of those round portable dryers just to dry tomatoes, mostly for a bread dip I make.  They can even be dried in the oven on a very low temperature.  Then I double bag them and put them in the freezer until I want them.  They stay good there for a long time.

SUN DRIED TOMATO AND BASIL DRESSING

Put 1 T. olive oil in a small frying pan and finely grate 2 cloves of garlic into it and stir fry until it just starts to brown . Remove to a blender.  Add 3/4 C. olive oil, 1/3 C. wine vinegar,1 small Roma tomato peeled, seeded (seeds removed) or 3 T. dried tomatoes (If you use the dried tomatoes add 2 T. water) , 1 tsp. sugar, and 1/4 C. fresh basil leaves, 1/2 tsp. salt and generous grates of fresh pepper.  Blend for 30 seconds.