From Austin resident Della Johnson, who says this recipe dates to the 1800s when her mother recalls her grandmother baking pumpkin seeds as a treat for her family in their home on West 14th Street in Austin. “It was a treat every year in October every time she made a (pumpkin) pie.”
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
· 1 ½ cups pumpkin seeds
· 2 teaspoons salt, with more at serving
· 2 teaspoons nut oil
· 2 teaspoons spices such as curry powder, harissa and chili powder
Directions
Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 cups of water and season with 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil.
Scoop seeds from the pumpkin, and clean them of remaining pumpkin meat in a bowl of water. Then, add them to the boiling salted water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Dry the seeds on a clean dish clot. Mound the dried seeds on a baking sheet, add the oil and desired spices and mix until they are well coated. Spread the seeds into one layer and make for 10-20 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges. Cool and serve.