When you clean a pumpkin never throw out the seeds. That’s what my mother taught me as a kid, primarily because the toasted seeds always made for an added fall attraction at her counter for snacks. In my kitchen the toasted seeds are shared with little hands as well as on the adult salad at dinner.

Ingredients serve 4 or more:

For the dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano

For the squash and the seeds

1 medium size squash or pumpkin
3 tablespoons oil (each)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (each, seeds and squash)

For the salad

4 cup mixed greens
2 tablespoon goat cheese
1 apple, diced

This preparation can be adapted and used with other fall squash. Today we used a pumpkin and a “ferry” squash. It also works well with butternut or red kuri, any heavy squash with a deep flesh will do. I roasted these for an hour, along side the seeds, tossed in olive oil. If the flesh isn’t thick 30 minutes should work just fine.

Slice the squash in half and remove the seeds. Clean the seeds with your fingers in a colander and cool water, then toss with oil and spread out on a cookie sheet. Place the squash halfs cut side down on another oiled sheet and place in a hot 375ºF oven. Cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours then slice or cube and season with salt.

For this salad I chose mixed fall greens from Bette and Dales farm stand on the “Turnpike”. You could use arugula or any mesculun mix that appeals. Toss the greens with a tablespoon or two of crumbled goat cheese, 1/2 of and apple, diced, and a
few tablespoons of red wine vinaigrette. When ready to serve toss in the squash and the seeds.