How to Cook Jack O'Lanterns (Updated)

Tonight, I will be doing something that I hope will become a tradition: carving Jack O'Lanterns and watching classic scary movies. The day before Halloween is a perfect time to do it, since (1) all the pumpkins will be marked down drastically at the grocery store, and (2) Halloween night itself should be for trick-or-treating, not carving gourds.

So I thought it would be fun to post a couple of recipes that go well with a night of pumpkin-carving. The first is for cooking those tasty, vitamin-rich pumpkin seeds. The second is a Thai dish, for cooking up those spare pumpkin parts from the eyes, nose, and mouth places. Hope you enjoy!

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Trav's Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (#3)

Fresh pumpkin seeds (about 2 cups)
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder

Remove the seeds and pulp from the pumpkin, and place them in a colander. Under running water, separate the seeds from the pulp and rinse them well. One large pumpkin will yield about one cup of seeds; adjust the recipe as needed.

Drain the seeds, and put them in a shallow bowl. While they are still damp, add the salt and baking powder and stir until the powders dissolve. Spread the seeds out evenly on an ungreased, stick-resistant cookie sheet, and allow to dry overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the pumpkin seeds and vegetable oil in a bowl, and toss until well-coated. Spread the seeds out evenly on a stick-resistant cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F until golden brown and crispy (about 30 minutes), stirring every 15 minutes.

Blot the seeds on paper towels, and serve warm.

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Stir Fried Pumpkin

1 C. water
1 T. vegetable oil
2 C. pumpkin
1 t. ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. sugar
1 T. fish sauce
1/2 t. salt
2 T. green onions, chopped (green parts only)

Remove the skin from the pumpkin, and remove any seeds or spongy pith from the inside...you want the solid meat from the inside of the pumpkin. Chop the pumpkin meat into 1/2-inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a wok, and add the garlic and pepper. Cook on high heat until the garlic is almost browned, then add the pumpkin and reduce heat to medium. Stir to coat the pumpkin in the garlic-oil mixture, then add the water. Cook until the pumpkin is medium-soft and most of the water has evaporated, then add the sugar, fish sauce, salt, and green onions. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the pumpkin is tender, and serve immediately over rice.

(Update: Using jack o'lantern pumpkins is not a good idea; they are not the tastiest of gourds. Well, the flavor is okay I guess, but the texture is strange. I dunno. If you are serious about this recipe, I recommend you use acorn or butternut squash instead.)