Pumpkin Seeds
I finally made the pumpkin seeds last night. You can do this on a cookie sheet, I am told, but I have had less success with that. I prefer to cook them in a cast iron skillet. I used a little peanut oil (olive oil works, too), and toss the seeds with salt, a little sugar, chili powder and cinnamon. In a previous batch I used chili and lime juice, but I didn’t think they were very good.
Chili and cinnamon are both very good for you as well, full of phytonutrients, and of course pumpkin seeds provide fiber, good fats and minerals.
I have found they keep a little better in the refrigerator than in the cabinet.
Large pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns produce seeds that are difficult to separate from the stringy stuff and pie pumpkins give up their seeds very easily, so, if you can, get a pie pumpkin.
This batch turned out especially, almost addictively good. Though I think it was related to the fact that I had recently made maple pork sausage in the skillet. (a well seasoned cast iron skillet adds lots of flavor). I think one could actually try to replicate this by using about a teaspoon of maple syrup (real stuff, not pancake syrup), instead of the sugar.
