When you need a little something crispy and salty for topping a salad or bowl, look to pepitas, the little green pumpkin seeds you’ll find in bulk sections at the grocery. Buy them unseasoned and raw then toast as you need them. This can be as simple as tossing them in a frying pan with a bit of oil and salt until they begin to pop and brown. If you want, add a touch of maple syrup at the end, which caramelizes into a barely sweet brittle, which is so good on squash soup or in this Chipotle Sweet Potato Salad.
Maple Pepitas
adapted from Anna Jones’s “Maple-Pumpkin Praline” in The Modern Cook’s Year
Ingredients
- pepitas, raw and unseasoned
- olive oil or avocado oil
- pure maple syrup
- salt
Instructions
-
Heat a medium skillet over moderate heat and add ⅓ cup raw pepitas and a bit of oil (less than 1 teaspoon). Shake pan as the pepitas brown and begin to pop. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt, drizzle in 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and cook, stirring, for a minute to caramelize. Transfer to a plate or piece of parchment paper to harden and cool. Break apart with your fingers and use as a garnish.
