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Seeding Good Taste

^{Posted by: Joe_LoCicero}

You may have waited until now to carve your pumpkin for Halloween night (so that it doesn't get all icky and oozy). Or perhaps, you've decided to make pumpkin pie from scratch this Thanksgiving with some sugar pumpkins. Either way, a treat awaits you and your family in the form of roasted pumpkin seeds

So many people don't take advantage of this crunchy goodness, but adults -- and surprisingly, so many kids -- love snacking on them. Plus, they're a snap to make.

First, scrape out the pumpkin's "innards," the pulp and seeds inside the pumpkin. I know this can seem to be a stringy, slimy task, but inexpensive "scrapers" have been increasingly easier to find, and make the scraping go by much faster. Plus, the plastic scrapers so widely available are usually a good size for little hands and, with adult supervision, can provide a good kid activity, too.

We've been using the Martha Stewart Collection Pumpkin Carving Kit "for jazzing up your jack-o'-lanterns," available at Macy's, that came with nine carving tools and six templates. It's been all-around user friendly, and a great creativity jump-starter, too. At this point, you may even be able to find a set on-sale after Halloween at your nearby Macy's. If you do, purchase it to use next year; you'll be glad you did.

As for getting those seeds roasted, preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you're separating the seeds from the pumpkin's pulpy strands. We usually put all the pumpkin's pulp and seeds in a strainer, and then rinse thoroughly. That process seems to make separating the seeds easier. And once again, here's an activity -- separating the seeds from the pulp -- that the kids usually enjoy too. We then put all the seeds on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

Toss the pumpkin seeds with two tablespoons extra-virgiin olive oil, three teaspoons kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, and a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper. Then make sure to spread the seeds out so that they form a nice even, uncrowded layer. Place the cookie sheet with the pumpkin seeds in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes. But start checking them after 10 minutes. I've found that the seed's doneness can vary wildly. After the seeds have baked to a crunchy consistency -- or one that's to your liking -- let them cool. You can keep them in an airtight container for three days.

Aside from a great snack, they also are a delicious topping or add-in for salads, soups, and chili.

...Now I'll just have to get back to you on how that pulp works for making pumpkin pies.