Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to revisit a post that should have been uploaded last year, but I seriously ran out on time and then it became irrelevant (no big surprise there). Now what we do know, is that I am a massive big kid at heart, and I get super excited about things like fireworks on bonfire night, stockings on Christmas morning, and pumpkin carvings at Halloween. Last year I pestered Gary to get a pumpkin, and bless him he indulged my whim, and even carved 'Eric' for me. For my part, I promised that Eric's insides would be put to good use, and not being one to waste anything, I set about finding the best recipes for the pumpkin flesh and the seeds. 

Tip: After carving out the pumpkin, I diced the flesh and put it in a tupperware container filled with water in the fridge, where it kept fresh for four days until I used it to make pumpkin pies. Likewise, I cleaned off all the seeds and kept them in water too for a couple of days until I was ready to roast them.

I read up quite a bit about the best way to roast pumpkin seeds, and then combined all the hints and tips I found. When it came to it, the recipe pieced together resulted in beautiful, moreish crunchy seeds, which for as long as they lasted seriously quashed my crisp habit - now that takes something. 

I seasoned my seeds with paprika and sea salt, but you could really experiment with any flavour combination here, I'm thinking maybe garlic powder, or parmesan, you could even try a sweeter flavour, such a cinnamon with a little sugar or maple syrup!

I strongly recommend that you roast your pumpkin seeds after the jack-o-lanterns have been carved, they really are far too tasty to waste! 

Ingredients

(quantities are a guideline - adapt based on size of pumpkin and personal tastes)

Seeds from one medium pumpkin, strings removed, washed and cleaned
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp rock salt

Method

Bring a pan of water to the boil...

Add a teaspoon of salt and stir in...

Add the pumpkin seeds, and bring the pan down to a simmer for 10 minutes...

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the olive oil, paprika, and salt...

After 10 minutes, drain the seeds, and pat down with kitchen paper to remove any excess water...

Add the seeds to the seasoning and mix until all are coated...

Transfer the seeds to a baking tray and spread evenly. Bake at 180 degrees for around 15 minutes until crispy. Check the seeds after 10 minutes, they should be golden on the outside, and the inner seed should be a golden brown too. If the inner seeds go too dark they will burn and taste bitter...

Remove from the oven when crispy, and transfer to kitchen towel to soak up excess oil. These are delicious hot, and equally good cold - if they last that long! 

Paprika Roasted Pumpkin Seeds