With great conversation. Yeah, I went alone but I'm friends with the owners who always have time for a chat. We talked about Western medicine, and its failures, and I got some recommendations for an accupuncturist, which my new doctor has suggested. We talked about asafoetida and how I shouldn't be put off by the awful smell because it adds such a je ne sais quoi to Indian dishes (though, I didn't have the heart to tell her that I threw the stinky bottle away because it was infecting my spice cabinet, even from inside a sealed plastic bag). We talked coconut oil and I got a pie crust lesson, using two pieces of plastic wrap to make it thin, perfectly circular, and easily moveable. We talked about novels and recent favorites, my reading Lonesome Dove, her reading Carl Hiassen and the Dragon Tattoo series (funny you should comment about that Cousin S, because she recommended them too!). So "alone" for lunch but not lonely. I love going there.
It was then and there I decided to make Bloodroot's signature oatmeal bread today, which I've never tried to recreate. I checked their cookbook before I left and knew I'd have to go pick up some sesame seeds. And so I stopped in a Bridgeport grocery store, sightseeing there as much as I have in NYC and TX. Because of the city's ethnic diversity, there were rows and rows of Jamaican, Mexican, Brazilian, and other ethnic foods, included a whole international soda area. Of course, I bought seem beans, pigeon peas, which I've only had in a can and want to try on my own as arroz con gandaules. I thought of getting a tamarind nectar drink, some coconut cream cookies, and a few other things but decided Mama and I should go back and explore together.
So now I'm home, with the oatmeal bread started downstairs, a cat on my lap (and not the one you think, Mama: Albus has become quite the lap kitty since our long TX hiatus, hasn't he?), and World Cup soccer on tv. I might nap a bit or sort files a bit or even bathe midday. Just not sure. And I've got hours and hours in which to do it. Or nothing . . . .
Or maybe, I should just go to dinner at Bloodroot, too! There's going to be be blueberry pie, in the crust I watched made.
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Oatmeal and Sunflower Bread
Pour 4 cups boiling water over 3 cups rolled oats and let cool for 1/2 hour in a large bowl. Oatmeal must be no more than warm when yeast is added.
In a stand mixer or by hand, add 2 tablespoons yeast to the oatmeal and stir in 2 tablespoons salt, 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (can substitute other vegetable oils), 1/2 cup molasses, and gradually add 5-8 cups unbleached white flour. Knead a good 20 minutes if working by hand and at least 10 minutes in a machine. Add enough flour to make dough silky, not tough and dry. When dough seems the right texture, add 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup sesame seeds. Mix inito bread dough thoroughly and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, covered with a dishtowel. Be sure your kitchen is not too hot. A long slow rising produces best flavor.
Grease 3 small loaf tins (9 x 5") or 2 larger ones. Punch down bread on a floured board and shape into loaves. Place in pans and let rise 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 350F and bake bread until done, about 45 minutes. Turn onto racks to cool
The Best of Bloodroot Vol 2: Vegan Recipes
