Happy Halloween!

Regardless of the fact that September and October flew by me this year, Halloween has arrived. Soon my doorbell will be ringing as the little ghosts and goblins come trick or treating. As usual I have carved my pumpkins and they have become Jack O’ Lanterns. Now I’m faced with the age old dilemma, to roast the pumpkin seeds or toss them out. On one hand it’s a total pain to do it, on the other hand, they’re really tasty and contain a lot of great nutrients. I’m in a nostalgic mood today so I’m roasting!

Over the years I have come up with a way of doing it that , to me, makes it less of a hassle. Once you have cleaned the insides out of the pumpkin you’ll notice the seeds tend to grow in batches and you can grab a handful that aren’t attached to the gooey insides. I know this isn’t always the case but for the most part you should be able to separate the seeds from most of the goo. I then place these seeds in big bowl and put enough water in it so that the seeds are floating. I stir them around using my hands. Then in handfuls I remove the seeds from the water and pick out any remaining goo. This seems to work well for me as the goo tends to stick to your skin. I then place the wet seeds in a colander and shake them to get off excess moisture. Tip: don’t place them on paper towels to dry because all they will do is stick to the paper towels and give you another reason not to roast them!

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and place the wet seeds on a greased cookie sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Make sure you grease the cookie sheet! Put them into the oven for 30 minutes, this is actually the drying process. After 30 minutes I take them out and toss them with olive oil and salt. At this stage you can add different spices if you’d like. Some people like cinnamon and sugar if you go this route use less salt. To spice things up you can add a little cayenne pepper or smoked paprika. You could also add some Italian spices and grated parmesan cheese. Looking for something a little different? Try using melted butter instead of olive oil and use brown sugar and salt to make Kettle Corn style pumpkin seeds. Once you’ve chosen the spices, you’ll want to roast your seeds for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees, turning them halfway through. Then check to see if they’re at your desired crispness. If they’re not crispy enough, leave them in the oven for a few more minutes. keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Enjoy!

There are so many options but I love the traditional salt and oil. While I’m eating my seeds and looking at my Jack O’ Lanterns I’m also contemplating the next dilemma of Halloween, to make pumpkin puree out of all of them or buy my pumpkin puree in cans. Usually the rule I go by is if I use candles I give the Jack O’ Lanterns to the woodland creatures. If I use L.E.D. lights or light sticks I’ll cook the pumpkin and make puree for pies, soups, cakes and cookies or some savory dishes with pasta.

To make the puree you can go about it in one of two ways. The first is to cut the pumpkin into small chunks and remove the outer skin, place the pieces in a large pot of salted water and boil until tender. Drain the pot and place the pieces into a food processor or a food mill. Puree the cooked pumpkin and let it drain overnight in a colander lined with cheese cloth. The other way is to roast the cut pieces in a large pan with about an inch of water in it. Then puree and drain as in the instructions above. I like to roast them as I feel it brings out the sugars a little better. Yes it’s time consuming and one can easily buy their pumpkin in a can, but I will tell you there is a huge difference. You can also freeze any leftover puree and use it for pies at Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you really want to get the best tasting pumpkins look for the little sugar pumpkins or the milk pumpkins. In my opinion these two make the best pies.

After tonight I’ll decide what to do with my Jack O’ Lanterns and soon I’ll be posting more recipes for things to do with all that pumpkin! For now I’m going to enjoy my freshly roasted pumpkin seeds with a glass of apple cider while I’m waiting for the trick or treaters to arrive. As always if you have questions or comments please leave them in the box below. Until next time Boo!-ne Appétit!