Sweet and Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds…and Anatomy of a Pumpkin

Steps to breaking down a pumpkin

1. Drive to the pumpkin store.
2. Make a bee-line for the donuts.
3. Gorge yourself on pumpkin and apple cider donuts and momentarily forget that you came here for pumpkins. 
4. Remember the underlying reason for your visit when the pumpkins catch your eye.
5. Wander over to the pumpkins at a slightly slower pace and try not to jostle the lead ball of donut sitting in the pit of your stomach. 
6. Pick your perfect pumpkin. 
7. Drive home and try to ignore the slight resting tremor as the sugar surge sets in.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the innards and set them aside for later.
10. Place the two halves, cut side down, on cookie sheets and bake for 1.5 – 2 hours (or until the pumpkin is soft). 
11. While the pumpkin is cooking, separate the pumpkin seeds from the “connective tissue”. 
12. Rinse the pumpkin seeds and spread out on a cookie sheet in a thin layer. 
    
13. Set aside the pumpkin seeds to dry overnight…only 12-14 short hours until you get to dig into some tasty Sweet and Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds. 
    
14. Sit back and relax (while watching Downton Abbey perhaps?) as your house fills with the mouth watering smell of baked pumpkin. 
15. Once the pumpkins are done baking, use a large spoon to scoop out the pumpkin meat.
16. Either store the pumpkin as is or pureé 2 cups at a time in a blender.
17. Refrigerate for use within the next couple days or freeze for later use…Recipes for your homemade pumpkin pureé to follow.

Sweet and Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried, raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbs sriracha (more if you want spicier seeds)
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Mix together the sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce and olive oil.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the pumpkin seeds with the sriracha mixture.
4. Spread out the coated pumpkin seeds on a greased cookie sheet in a thin layer.
5. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or till golden brown.

Print This BA Recipe