I had planned to have a great post for you today, my version of this Washington Post recipe for dinner in a pumpkin. I've made it before, and it was a fantastic treat for Halloween, perfect for a cold night and fun for the children. But I never wrote my recipe down and when I tried it out this week -- just in time to post so that you would have it before Halloween -- it was, how can I say this. . . meh. Not terrible, but not great. If I'm going to convince you to go to the trouble of making dinner in a pumpkin it has got to be better than that. So maybe next year.
This year, instead of the Great Pumpkin, you'll get small. You see, while the pumpkin was cooking, I did a bit of an experiment on the seeds. I love roasting them, but I want them to be cooked so that I can eat the entire seed without breaking a tooth or chewing for 15 minutes. I have seen many different approaches to roasting them, including blanching them before roasting, dry roasting, and roasting with oil. I tried them all.
The blanching worked well if you then roasted the seeds at a low temperature for a very long time (about 2 hours at 250 degrees). Equally good, though, was a shorter roast at high heat. So if you make those Pumpkin Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting -- and you really should make them -- save the seeds to roast.
Great and small sums up the season for me, too. This time of year, I find myself studying the soaring trees, especially when I see one with vibrantly colored leaves against that crisp autumn sky. And at my feet are the treasures of the season, more colors and little goodies to take into my pocket. My children have helped me see these things again. What a gift.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
pumpkin seeds
olive oil
soy sauce
Rinse the seeds and spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet to dry out a bit. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the pumpkin seeds with a drizzle of olive oil. The amount will vary depending on how many seeds you have, but a teaspoon or two will probably be plenty. Roast the seeds for about 20 minutes, until they are golden brown, and you hear them begin to pop. When they are done, toss them with a few shakes of olive oil. They do not keep well so eat them immediately or store them in an airtight container and reheat them again before eating.
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