I’m rather fond of Halloween and carve a pumpkin every year. While Halloween is mostly about the candy, part of my Halloween traditions is the cooking of pumpkin seeds. The recipe I use is very simple, but works for me.
Step 1: Carve the pumpkin and get the seeds. Since I am not squeamish, I find that the best way to get the seeds is to cut an opening in the top of the pumpkin and then just pull out all the seeds and “guts” with my hand. I then scrape the sides to clear out the gunk and round up any stray seeds.
Step 2: Clean the seeds. While some of the seeds will be free of the “guts”, you will most likely have a fair amount of orange strings and gunk mixed up with the seeds. I deal with that by putting the seeds in a colander and then manually removing the gunk. I then wash the seeds with water (just stick the colander in the sink).
Step 3: Oil and flavor. I usually move the seeds to a Tupperware container and add a little olive oil plus some steak seasoning salt. You can, of course, use any flavoring you’d like, from the old standby of table salt to some elaborate mixes of spices and herbs. Some folks even make sweet mixes, but I find that the Halloween candy gives me plenty of sweet. I use the Tupperware container because I can seal it and then mix up the seeds with the oil and flavoring by shaking it.
Step 4: Bake. I spread the seeds over a cookie sheet (the oil on them should minimize sticking, but you can use parchment paper) and bake them for 30-40 minutes at 300 degrees. I stir them every 10 minutes or so (if I remember). When they appear to be slightly browned and are crisp, they are ready to eat. If they are black and on fire, then it is time to get a new set of pumpkin seeds.
Step 5: Eat.
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