Spiced pumpkin seed nibbles 🎃🎃🎃

So, Halloweeen has arrived...and nearly departed! An evening  spent carving pumpkins.

A day spent pureeing and baking, and then a lovely evening with family enjoying a dinner in the darkness...

Interesting guessing what your next mouthful would be! 😂

So, the inners. What to do... 🤔

Pumpkin soup is a must. The old recipes will come out again. Watch this space for any tweaks...

Pumpkin pie is something I haven't done for a long while, so a Google for the best authentic recipe from the USA will help. I'll let you know. I pureed the flesh from one pumpkin today and filled a 600g tub. Plenty for a pie to fill my new Laura Ashley dish!

But today was the day for baking the seeds. I loved them last year and kept them by the hob so as I cooked I nibbled! Yum 😋

Firstly, wash the seeds thoroughly and get as much flesh off them as possible. Don't worry if you have some left, it's only going to get baked!

Next, tip them onto a tea towel and dry them off as much as you can. This may seem impossible and doesn't really matter, but the seeds crisp up quicker the drier they are. If you miss this step, they will take much longer to bake to a gorgeous crispness.

Tip into a bowl and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil, then sprinkle spices and herbs of your choice. Today, I used 1 heaped tsp paprika and 2 tsp cumin seeds. I like the additional seeds in the mix. I also used a good pinch of salt and a big grind of black pepper. Now, in the past I have used sea salt, with large crystals. This is especially tasty!

Spread out on a baking sheet, then pop into the oven at 180°C fan. Bake for 10 minute stints, turning the mix every time. Mine took 30 mins to bake today.

Beautiful toasted pumpkin seeds! Can't wait to tuck in 😊

Hope you enjoyed Halloween too! Let me know what you got up to, and what you will be doing with your pumpkin leftovers.

Happy All Hallows

Deb x