Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Whenever you have pumpkins you have to deal with the seeds. Normally, I find roasted pumpkin seeds too fibrous for my taste. But I found a number of sites online that recommended putting the seeds in salted water for some time which breaks down some of the woodiness of pumpkin seeds. Some recipes suggested soaking seeds overnight in salted water. Others suggested bringing the seeds to a boil in salted water for 15-20 minutes. I tried the latter with the saved seeds from the pumpkin soup recipe. The salt water does do a good job of making the seeds more palatable.

For the seasoning, I used the recipe I found online at SeriousEats for spicy roasted pumpkin seeds. It's a pretty good start. I'd like to feel more spice but at work and at home these were well received as is. There is definitely room to experiment.

Rinse the pumpkin seeds in a colander. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet, single layer, and let dry overnight.

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds, cleaned and dried
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix seeds in a bowl with all ingredients
• Spread on a foil-covered cookie sheet
• Place seeds in the oven for 15 minutes
• Remove from oven and let cool