Oh, I can't believe it's Monday already! We had such a relaxing weekend and even enjoyed some pumpkin carving with great friends and a lazy Sunday cooped up in the house with a pot of soup to warm our bellies.

As October is nearing its end I thought I would share an autumn staple, pumpkin. Most of you have already made pumpkin this or that but if you want to have a go at making your own pumpkin puree rather than buying store bought I highly recommend it! It is very easy to do and a great way to use up those pumpkins that will ultimately be thrown out in the next week or two. Just so you know, you SHOULD NOT use a regular carving pumpkin (the big kind) to make puree. Those pumpkins are more bitter and will not do well in pies and cakes. Make sure you use use a smaller pumpkin (available at any grocery store) such as sugar pumpkins. I just used one pumpkin and it yeilded about 4.5 cups of puree, which I can now use in a variety of dishes. If you want you can use all of the puree as a base for a fabulous pumpkin soup...

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

• 1 sugar pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap off the pumpkin's stem and halve the gourd lengthwise (I cut mine into fours to make it easier to peel off the skin later). With a spoon or melon baller, remove seeds and rinse for roasting or discard. (See below for how to roast seeds)

Place pumpkin halves cut-side down on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Loosely drape a piece of foil on top of the pumpkin. Roast until tender, about 1-1 1/2 hours. (If the flesh does not scoop out VERY easily it is not ready to puree so put it back into the oven)

When cool enough to handle, scoop out cooked pumpkin flesh; discard skin. Transfer pumpkin flesh to a food processor; process until smooth.

Set a colander in a large bowl and line with a double-layer of cheesecloth or thin cloth kitchen towel. Place pumpkin puree in cheesecloth or towel. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to drain overnight. This is to remove any excess water and will help you achieve that "pumpkin pie filling" consistency. 

Store in a airtight container for up to one week or 6 months in the freezer.

Mine made about 4.5 cups

Pepita is just a fancy name for pumpkin seeds. And although there are several different ways to roast/toast them I like to keep it simple and just add some olive oil and a few spices and that is it. Some people like to do it in a skillet first and then transfer them to the oven. I've also read that you can toast them on low heat for a long time or higher heat for a short amount of time. I don't know which method makes the best result but the batch I made tasted great to me and I ate them all in two days. 

Toasted Pepitas

You can really put just about anything you like on these. I opted for a little olive oil and a salt blend that my family calls the "magic" salt because it is made by a woman who lives out in the woods in Tuscany and what ever she puts in it is truly fantastic and we sprinkle it on just about everything. It is a combination of several different salts, dried spices and herbs including cayenne, rosemary, and thyme. Some people like to sprinkle their seeds with cinnamon and sugar, or others just prefer  a little sea salt. Play around with it, make several batches with different toppings to see what you and your family like.

Once you have tossed the seeds with the oil and/or salt and spices, spread on a baking sheet lined with foil. Place in a 400F degree oven and toast for about 15-20 minutes. When you start to hear the seeds "pop" they are ready. 

These are exceptionally good right out of the oven, and because these seeds have a lot of natural oils in them they go rancid quickly so when I have left overs I keep them in the fridge and then give them a quick toast in the little toaster oven for a few mintutes.

Enjoy!!