Use all of the pumpkin by playing with pepitos.
In this country, pumpkins usually fall into three categories: carved into jack-o’-lanterns, poured into pie shells and flavored into lattes. But in Central America, gourds, pumpkins and squash are cuisine staples.
In “Flavors of Belize,” native Sean Kuylen uses pumpkins to their fullest by playing with their seeds, pepitos.
Roasted and salted pumpkin seeds can be crushed into powder form and used to bread meats, as well as ground into sauces and pestos. “The smokiness and nuttiness of the pepito seeds add great texture, aroma and flavor to any dish,” says Kuylen. After charring and removing the skin of a red pepper, Kuylen likes blending the pepper with coconut oil, Gouda cheese and roasted pepito seeds.
Kuylen also suggests mixing pepitos into butter with honey. The resulting compound butter combines “sweetness from the honey [and] is divine on warm, fresh coconut Creole bread,” says Kuylen. Turning to dessert, Kuylen smokes pepitos with brown sugar to make a brittle-like candy. Think about breaking that over a serene pumpkin pie. —Nicole Bayne
(October 2014)
