pumpkin jam & pumpkin butter & smoky roasted pumpkin seeds

• empty and scrape out the inside of the cut pumpkin and separate the stringy and pulpy filaments from the sticky seeds

pumpkin jam :

• mash the stringy and pulpy filaments using your clean hands until looser and broken down, add the sugar, lemon juice, empty lemon rinds, apple cider vinegar, salt and split vanilla bean and let sit covered for 12 hours or overnight in the refrigerator or in a cool space
• the next day, bring the mixture to a boil in a large casserole and then reduce heat to medium-high (or medium if it spatters too much but still bubbles) and let simmer for 15 minutes maximum while stirring occasionally until thickened, reduced to almost half (and if you have a kitchen thermometer, when it reaches 104°C)
• remove from heat, remove lemon rinds and vanilla bean and immediately transfer to sterilized and oven-heated jars, fill up almost all the way to the top, close tightly, turn over upside-down for 5-10 minutes, then turn right-side up and when completely cooled, reserve in the refrigerator or a cool space.

pumpkin butter :

• use part of the still hot pumpkin jam that you measured and or weighed (in this case I used about 40%)
• place back in the casserole, add 1/3 of the jam’s weight (or up to half maximum) of cold butter cut in cubes to the hot jam and keep whisking for several minutes at medium-high heat until the color lightens slightly and it starts giving off a slight caramel aroma 
• transfer immediately to sterilized and oven-heated jars, close lids tightly, turn upside-down for 5-10 minutes and then right-side up again and when completely cooled, reserve in the refrigerator or in a cool space (the color will lighten significantly as it cools down).

smoky roasted pumpkin seeds :

• rinse the seeds until cleaner, rub in between a kitchen towel until slightly drier and less sticky (do not blot with paper towels because they will stick) and let them dry on a rack (at least 1 hour)
• preheat oven to 160°C-165°C

note : I do not remove the seeds from the thin shells because they are not large pepitas like the ones you purchase, they’re more of a crunchy snack with extra fiber …

• to initially dry out the seeds, lay out the seeds on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper with the rack in the middle and bake for 13-15 minutes or until a few seeds start popping, then remove from heat and let cool down and then rub to remove the very thin skins
• transfer the seeds to a mixing bowl, add the olive oil and toss to coat well, then sprinkle with the salt, pepper and smoked paprika and toss again
• place the coated seeds back inside the oven on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and roast for another 5-7 minutes until golden and crispy and reserve in an air-tight jar when cooled down.