Concerning pumpkin seeds...
One of the joys of this season is a steady supply of those crunchy, tasty little seeds to be found inside pumpkins and whatnot. I love the smell of them roasting to perfection in my oven. Not so nice is removing them from gutted pumpkins. The slimy, stringy flesh that smells...well, smells odd, and chaps my hands. This I am willing to put up with in search of those tasty little gems. What makes me cranky is separating flesh from seeds. Damned flesh is pernicious and clings to the seeds with a tenacity worthy of the facehuggers from Alien. Needless to say, I have (off and on) been trying to work out a method wherein I don't have to put up with this. And I've finally managed it:
1. Gut pumpkin.
2. Scoop out innards.
3. Remove as much flesh from the seeds as you can without going ballistic.
4. Dump fleshy seeds in a large pot.
5. Add water until seeds are covered by water by at least 1"
6. Add an equal amount of vinegar.
7. Boil for 20 minutes
8. Dump into colander and gaze at clean seeds.
There was much rejoicing in my kitchen yesterday. I am soooooo amused by the most ordinary things...
1. Gut pumpkin.
2. Scoop out innards.
3. Remove as much flesh from the seeds as you can without going ballistic.
4. Dump fleshy seeds in a large pot.
5. Add water until seeds are covered by water by at least 1"
6. Add an equal amount of vinegar.
7. Boil for 20 minutes
8. Dump into colander and gaze at clean seeds.
There was much rejoicing in my kitchen yesterday. I am soooooo amused by the most ordinary things...