A couple weeks ago I celebrated the last lingering rays of fall by finally baking up the pumpkin I bought at the farmer's market for Halloween. Specifically, it was a pie pumpkin, not a Jack-O-Lantern. I hoped to get a second use out of it and it worked! Thank you to my sister, who recommended roasting, not boiling it; another Holly, at www.spendwithpennies.com for the instructions; and Rosemary at allrecipies.com for the roasted seeds idea.
Total Time: 2 1/2 hours
Yield: Yield: For a 5 lb pumpkin, about 3 cups of puree and 1 cup roasted seeds
Source: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe by Rosemary at allrecipies.com and "How to Cook a Pumpkin" at spendwithpennies.com
Link: Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients:
- small to medium size pie pumpkin
- olive oil
- canola oil
- sea salt
Steps:
- Prep your pumpkin. Rinse, dry, and pull off the stem. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Set the pumpkin on the cutting board upright and use a large chef's knife to cut through. It will take a few passes of the knife to get through. Be careful!
- Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Save the seeds for later. :)
- Cover a baking sheet in foil and coat the raw edges of the pumpkin in olive or canola oil. Place the pumpkin halves oiled side face-down.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. It will be done when you stick a fork in and the skin buckles.
- In the meantime, separate the seeds from the pith. I do part of this by hand, making sure to get rid of large clumps of pith. I happened to have an acorn squash to cook up as well. It is safe to eat the seeds.
- Rinse the seeds in a strainer, using your fingers to help further separate the seeds. Give the strainer a twist of the wrist after the second rinse, like you would panning for gold. The metal screen will grate against the seeds, causing bits of pith to fall off naturally and collect at the bottom.
- Spread the seeds evenly over paper towels to dry. I let them sit for a while, then rubbed them dry with half of the towel.
- The seeds will feel slightly slippery to the touch but this will not hurt. Spread the dried seeds over a baking sheet and toss with a little bit of oil (1-2 tsp) and sea salt (a good pinch). Spread the seeds thinly and evenly apart.
- Bake at the same oven temperature for about 20-25 minutes, tossing them halfway through. My batch was a combination of pumpkin and acorn squash seeds.
- Please do eat at least some of the seeds warm! Let the rest cool, then store in an airtight container or Zip-lock bag.
- It will take 20-30 minutes before the pumpkin is cool enough to handle. Once it is, flip it over (it might stick to the pan)
- Scrape away any burnt bits before you scoop out the soft fruit and then mash it in a bowl till it is the right consistency.
- Next, line a strainer with coffee filters and scoop half of your pumpkin into it at a time. This will get rid of any excess liquid, in case you wanted to make a pie. Strain for about 15 minutes.
- Cover the puree with plastic wrap and an airtight lid. You can store it in the refrigerator for a good week or transfer it to freezer bags without a problem.
