Roasted Pumpkin Spread

About a month ago, I made a roasted pumpkin hummus, using a recipe I found on Gluten-Free Girl. I used the seeds from our lopsided, scarred Halloween pumpkin, which we affectionately named Mr. Garibaldi. I dutifully followed the recipe, and while the result was indeed delicious, something just wasn’t right. The hulls of the seeds were just too hard, and no matter how much I processed them, there were too many pieces left in the spread for it to be enjoyable.









So I decided to buy hulled pumpkin seeds in the bulk aisle and try again (without boiling them to salt them, though). And it was much better! I still feel like the finished product is too thick, so I added water. Then again, the seeds were delicious once seasoned and roasted, so next time I might just make those and not bother with the spread! Let me know if you think of any improvements to this recipe.



For the roasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds
1Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried ginger powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper



Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Put a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Pour the olive oil on the parchment paper and spread it out with your hands. Put the seeds on the oiled parchment. Sprinkle them with the smoked paprika, ginger, salt and pepper. Slide them into the oven and cook until the seeds have browned to your liking, about 10 to 15 minutes. (I roasted them for 8 minutes, actually, because they were popping.)

Take them out of the oven, let them cool, and eat – or make the spread.



For the spread
1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
about ¼ cup olive oil
juice of 1 large lemon
3 cloves garlic, peeled
15 oz chickpeas
at least ¼ cup warm water
1 tsp smoked paprika

Put the pumpkin seeds into the bowl of a food processor. Turn on the processor and start to break up the pumpkin seeds. As the processor is running, pour in the olive oil, slowly, until you have a thick paste. (The seeds will still be a bit noticeable, rather than entirely smooth. That's okay.) Turn off the food processor.



After you have formed the paste, squeeze in the lemon juice. Throw in the garlic and the chickpeas. Turn on the processor and whirl it all up until you have the thick consistency of hummus. You might need to add the water and more olive oil, as the processor is running, depending on the texture you like.

When you have the consistency you want, sprinkle in the smoked paprika and run the processor until the paprika is fully incorporated. Take the spread out of the food processor and let it sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours to allow the flavors to develop fully.



Eat with crackers or vegetables or whatever you want.