How to roast a Pumpkin and it's seeds

I love it when you can use as much as possible from the food you have bought. Throw away almost nothing and use even the scraps.

I love pumpkins and had bought more than a few from Irini. I had one left, and decided to roast it and keep it as a puree in the freezer as the days are getting warmer and did not want it to spoil.

Also keeping the puree in the freezer in bags is very convenient and saves a ton of space.

So roasting a pumpkin is very straightforward and does not need much.. Make sure that you do not use any salt as you can use the puree in a recipe for a dessert like those brownies I made recently and not to flavour it with many spices as it should be kept like a white canvas for you to play with in your recipes.

You can do something smart though and roast the pumpkin on a bed of an aromatic like sage. I have a lot growing in the garden and thought about giving it a go..

It gives a light flavor to the finished product even though you cannot really tell what you are tasting... you just feel that there is a second layer to the pumpkin taste but you cannot actually tell what it is...

Also the seeds of the pumpkin you can use and turn them into a tasty snack.

So, let's see what we will need.

Diffuculty: 1 of 3

Duration:20 minutes prep and one hour cooking

Serves:an army

Ingredients

For the roast pumpkin

1 whole pumpkin cut in 8 slices

fresh sage

Olive oil

For the roasted seeds

Seeds from a pupkin

1 egg white

Coarse salt

Black sesame seeds

Poppy seeds

Smoked paprika

Method

For the pumpkin

Cut the pumpkin in 8 slices and remove the seeds

Line a tray with parchment paper.

Lay the sage on it, and sprinkle with some olive oil.

Add the slices on the tray and sprinkle with some more olive oil.

Roast in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or till it is soft.

Remove from the oven and let cool..

Scoop the flesh into a bowl and use a fork or the special tool to mash it up.

Store in plastic freezer bags. I kept some out and used it in a humus I made.

About the seeds

Clean the seeds and separate them from the strands of the pulp that keeps them together.

Drain them thoroughly.

Beat the egg white till frothing and mix in it the seeds and the rest of the ingredients.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the seeds in one layer.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes stirring them a couple of times.

Let them cool down and store them in a glass container.

Of course we can add the spices that we like...