It took all my willpower not to whip up a batch of popcorn for Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Indulged on Friday and then again on Saturday, my popcorn habit was getting a little out of hand. But given the sheer number of movies I missed that were nominated for Oscars, I have more than a few reasons to eat some more. What makes this popcorn so irresistible is the simple fact that it’s about as homemade as you can get, made fresh to order right on the stove.
I guess I missed the whole era of stovetop popcorn because air poppers came into vogue when I was a kid. Then as microwaves got better, microwave versions of this and so many other snacks took over, becoming nearly ubiquitous.
Since discovering Parma!, covered in a previous post, I’ve been looking for a better popcorn, specifically one that can be flavored according to my whims. I’ve been adding my own seasonings, like cayenne and chili powder, to popcorn for some time, but they never seem to stick to the microwaved stuff even if added directly to the bag and shaken vigorously. Maybe it’s all those funky, food-like ingredients in microwave popcorn that are standing in the way.
With most foods, it’s pretty apparent that getting back to basics yields the best result. In fact, I loathe using my microwave and do anything I can to avoid that appliance. But I was sure slow to apply those morals to popcorn. Finally, while planning some Super Bowl snacks last month, I got the memo on how easy and delicious popcorn can be when prepared in an old-fashioned pot on the stove.
For many of you, no doubt, this is hardly a newsflash. But maybe the recipes I used will provide a little more inspiration in the realm of snack foods. Both are from Bon Appetit’s February issue and still available online.
Thanks to my friend and her 2009 trip to Hungary, I had a supply of that country’s famed hot paprika, which I substituted for France’s piment d’Espelette in Spicy Popcorn With Piment D’Espelette and Marcona Almonds. I also dispensed entirely with the almonds because I planned to prepare the magazine’s Caramelized Cashews With Cayenne. I ended up mixing the two together while still warm for the best sweet-salty-spicy snack mix I’ve ever tried.
Both recipes couldn’t have been easier, but the popcorn persuaded me that there’s no need to microwave this snack ever again. Sure, it dirties a pan. But the upside is that I can prepare exactly the amount I want (an entire microwave bag is a little too much) and put exactly what I want in it.
Lately, that also includes nutritional yeast, which adds the umami flavor characteristic of Parma! Whereas Central Point resident Shannon Schnibbe’s vegan creation costs about $5 in local stores, nutritional yeast, which looks like fish food, can be purchased in bulk for less than a dollar.
A chef friend uses coconut oil to make her stovetop popcorn movie-theater authentic. But I prefer Bon Appetit’s recommendation of peanut oil. It lacks the distinctive flavor of coconut oil and, being a monounsaturated fat, is more heart-healthy. Plus, I found coconut oil burns really quickly, requiring extra vigilance at the stove.
How do you pop your corn?
