Although the usual interpretation of the word "fry" is the process of cooking a product in a pan, in the broader sense of the word "fry" is also cooking food in the oven. The determining factor here is the presence of heat and the absence of liquid - water, broth, etc. In a frying pan, raw pumpkin is fried, cut into very thin slices, which is difficult given the thickness of the pumpkin peel, and breaded. But roasting a pumpkin in the oven is much easier.
It is necessary
-
- pumpkin:
- baking sheet;
- baking paper;
- spices and herbs;
- olive oil / maple syrup / liquid honey
Instructions
Step 1
Choose a pumpkin that is not too large - they are much sweeter and their flesh is not as fibrous. Too small a pumpkin is also not worth taking - there is not enough pulp in it. The exception is squash pumpkins, even the peel is edible in them, but the seeds are inedible. On a good pumpkin there are no stains, traces of blows, mold. It has a dry stem and a hard, waxy shell when you knock on a ripe pumpkin - it makes a dull sound. Pumpkin season starts in late summer and lasts until early fall, or you can keep the vegetable intact until winter.
Step 2
Wash and dry your vegetable. Cut off the top of the pumpkin, the one with the "tail", swiping around it, closer to the stem, with a sharp knife. Pull the “ponytail” and remove the top. Remove fibers and seeds with a spoon. Cut the pumpkin in half and use the spoon to walk over it again. Set the seeds aside as you will need them later.
Step 3
Cut the pumpkin into several large slices. Prepare a dish with vegetable oil, cover a baking sheet with baking paper, remove the spices. You can season the squash with chopped garlic, fresh or dried thyme, rosemary, sage leaves, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, cinnamon or brown sugar, or dip it in honey or maple syrup instead of vegetable oil.
Step 4
Dip pumpkin slices in butter or syrup / honey, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with herbs and spices to taste. Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness and length of the slices.
Step 5
Fried pumpkin can be served as a side dish, it can be put in salads, used in mashed potatoes and soups, baked with it various pies, cookies, muffins, and so on. In a medium-sized pumpkin, only the flesh is edible; in small pumpkins, as a rule, you can eat baked peel.
Step 6
Pumpkin seeds can be fried in a pan. To do this, they should be freed from fibers, rinsed well and left overnight, spread out in a thin layer on a disposable paper towel to dry.
Step 7
Heat a large, preferably cast-iron skillet or another, with a thick bottom, and put the pumpkin seeds on it. Fry them stirring constantly. When the seeds turn golden, start to burst and give off a pleasant aroma, turn off the heat. Pumpkin seeds can be seasoned with salt, garlic or onion powder, and cayenne pepper. If you like very salty seeds, then do not rely on the salt that you sprinkle on them, but rather soak the seeds in a solution of 4 tablespoons of salt in 1 glass of water. Keep them in brine for at least 12 hours, then dry and fry.
