Portuguese Style Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (Sementes de Abóbora Assado)

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Being Portuguese, one of my most favorite Halloween traditions is roasting of the pumpkin seeds!  American pumpkin seeds (usually involving lots of salt as the only spice) are tasty and I do like them at other times of the year, but there is nothing like a home roasted Portuguese Style pumpkin seed that you get after carving your Halloween pumpkin!

Each and every family has a different style of pumpkin seed roasting and a different mixture of spices.  I have been working on this recipe myself for a few years now and I think I have it just right for my taste.  These are super spicy, so in the tutorial pictures, I give advice on reducing the heat if you like.

Start with an empty sealable container. This recipe can be doubled easily and will store nicely if you prefer to use it throughout pumpkin season… this recipe is great for squash seeds too!

To your container, add in garlic powder.

Kosher salt

Paprika… now, I use Hungarian Paprika which is very spicy, so if you like spice, use it, if you don’t, don’t

Crushed red pepper flakes

Since I already use Hungarian Paprika, I only use a touch of Cayenne Pepper… If you don’t have Hungarian Paprika, you may want to use a bit more Cayenne. Here I am using 1/4 tsp… I would up it to 1/2 tsp without the Hungarian Paprika.

Cover your container and give it a good shake.

Once you are through mixing your spice, it’s time to move onto the pumpkin. This guy is about to become a Mickey Mouse pumpkin!

Have a large bowl handy for your seeds.

I like to cut the bottom of my pumpkin for carving because no seam is shown up top.

Now pull apart and you will expose all your seeds.

Scoop them out.

You will find you may have a lot of pumpkin goop mixed in with your seeds, you don’t need that.

Remove all the goop. From here I DO NOT wash… I like that they are still slimy. Slimy seeds let the spice mix stick better!

You can throw out the goop.

Now, add in a little of the spice at a time. I have 2 cups of seeds here, so I am starting by adding in about half of my seasoning.

It looks to me like they are not well coated enough. So, I ended up adding the remaining spice. You be the judge on yours.

After they are mixed, this is what they should look like. Lay them in a single layer on a parchment covered cookie sheet… please do not try to put this directly on a cookie sheet… even with parchment, they stick. You could oil your pan first if you don’t have parchment paper.

After about 20 minutes in the oven, they look like this… You want to stir them up again and lay flat again. Pop them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so.

When done roasting, this is what you get.

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Portuguese Style Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups non-washed pumpkin seeds

Spice Mix:

1 Tbs. Paprika (Hungarian for extra spice if desired)

1 Tbs. Kosher salt

1 Tbs. granulated garlic

1 tsp. dry crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Directions:

Combine all spices in a resealable container. Spread on pumpkin seeds and stir.  Bake in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350°F.  Stir.  Bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Allow to cool. Break up any big pieces.  Enjoy!