Pumpkin: Seeds, Puree, and Butter!

Happy Halloween, everyone! We are sure to see lots of jack o'lanterns on display tonight, and today we're going to talk about fresh pumpkin puree, roasted and crunchy pumpkin seeds, and sweet, spicy, and velvety-smooth pumpkin butter.

As you get ready to carve your best pumpkin face tonight, don't forget there's lots of good eating to enjoy there. Of course, the carving pumpkin variety is not really the smoothest or sweetest squash out there. If you are buying pumpkin purely for the sake of eating, consider using a smaller variety, like the sugar pumpkin or kabocha. But if you are carving jack 0'lanterns tonight, remember to save the good parts, because that is perfectly edible pumpkin and can be used in a myriad of ways!

We clean the pumpkin before starting so that no dirt transfers to the inside of the pumpkin when we cut into it.

First, the seeds. Everyone knows the seeds are delicious when simply roasted and salted. Or we can get crazy with our spices and concoct our signature flavor roasted pumpkin seeds. I'm imagining cinnamon. Or garlic and lemon-pepper. Or maybe something spicy, like chili and lime, or curry powder. Mmmmmm. How about roasted in soy or tamari sauce? That sounds good, too. I can't decide!

• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: To prepare the seeds, you must remove them from the pumpkin and then rinse in water to remove all the stringy bits. Next dry them out on a towel. Toss them in a bowl with your seasonings of choice. Roast in a single layer on a lightly oiled cookie sheet at 250F degrees for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes or so.

These are great. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc. Snack on them alone, or add them to salads, muffins, breads, or anywhere else we would use nuts.



Now for the pumpkin "meat." We don't want all the stringy stuff, of course. Throw that out with the compost. We want the chunky flesh. When you cut out the face parts or other shapes from your jack 0'lantern, toss them in a baking dish. We're going to bake the pumpkin pieces in the oven until they get nice and soft. You can remove the skin with a paring knife now, or later, after the pumpkin is cooked. Do you carve out the inner wall of the pumpkin to reduce thickness before carving your design? Toss that in the baking dish, too! Just remember, none of the slimy, stringy, messy guts.

• To make pumpkin puree: Place pumpkin chunks in a baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350F degrees for about an hour, or until pieces can be poked easily with a fork. When pumpkin has cooled, remove any skin if necessary. Puree in a food processor until smooth, or mash and press through a sieve.

Now we have pumpkin puree! This can be used just like the canned pumpkin available at the grocery store. There are lots of pumpkin recipes out there, y'all. You can make pie, cake, muffins, bread, pancakes, soup, souffle... what else?

What am I making with my pumpkin puree? I'm making pumpkin butter! It's bubbling away in my little Crockpot right now, in fact. Want to try some? Here's the recipe - let me know what you think!

• Pumpkin Butter: Combine two cups of pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Cook in a small-size slow cooker on the low setting for 6-12 hours. We want the pumpkin butter to stay on a spoon when the spoon is turned upside down. If you don't have a small slow cooker, you can also cook this on the stove in a saucepan, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat for an hour or two.

With such a small recipe, I won't bother with any canning. I plan to keep a bit in the refrigerator to use now, and perhaps freeze the rest for another time. It should keep fresh in the 'fridge for two to three weeks, and in the freezer for at least six months up to a year.

Have a great Halloween! Don't eat too much candy; it's not good for you in so many ways.

I'll be back later with more food to share - there's been a lot of cooking going on around here, and I have some yummy things to show you, like Thai basil chicken, roasted tomatoes and carmelized onions, and chorizo & potato stuffed peppers. And I've baked a pretty birthday cake and some tea party cupcakes, too!