Daily Loaf

(Check out these other pumpkin recipes: Cassava Pone from Sayroo West Indian Market, Pumpkin Cheese Pie, Baked Pumpkin Pudding.)

Maybe you don’t want to the fuss of cutting into a pumpkin for homemade pie — those cans are so damn easy — but chances are you’ll be carving a jack-o-lantern for the front porch. Instead of scooping the slimy innards directly into the trash, save the seeds for a roasted treat that almost makes handling the slippery stuff worthwhile.

Here’s a basic technique to get you started, with a list of seasoning options to jazz up the seeds:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 and 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss pumpkin seeds with butter and a generous amount of salt, then spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for approx. 30-45 minutes — stirring occasionally — until the seeds are golden brown, dry and crisp.

You can get by without the butter or oil, but why would you?

Seasoning options (you’ll still need salt with all of these):

1. Savory: Garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce (dash) and black pepper.
2. Spicy: Cayenne pepper (pinch) and black pepper.
3. Pumpkin Pie: 1 tablespoon brown sugar, pinch of nutmeg and ground cinnamon.
4. Vietnamese: Fish sauce (just a dash), garlic powder and a squirt of Sriracha.
5. Indian: Garam masala.
6. Curried: Curry powder.
7. Cajun: Cajun or blackening seasoning, Worcestershire sauce.
8. Mole: Cocoa powder, cinammon, clove, garlic powder (all used sparingly).
9. Italian: Freshly ground Parmigiano Reggiano.
10. Citrus: Fresh lemon zest, dash of lemon juice, dash of white sugar.

(Photo by ccharmon/flickr.com.)

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