One of my first things I was able to make, by myself, in the kitchen while growing up was stove top popcorn. I ‘owned’ as my kids might say today, making stove top popcorn. I was able to be unsupervised around a large hot pot, while heating oil, and mastering the constant shaking of the pot until all of the kernels were popped and awaiting melted butter with salt. To this day I am making stove top popcorn, probably once a week, while at the same time handing the torch down to my oldest, who is as excited as I remember to making the popcorn.
While we are true fans of the salted, buttery stove top popcorn, I thought I would do something a bit different with it, and make it for a holiday get together. This is my take on an adult, and kid friendly (as I made a second batch the following day and my pickiest of the bunch devoured it) batch of seasoned popcorn that has a great mixture of seasonings incorporated into the cooking process.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of your favorite popcorn kernels
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/2 tsp hot paprika
- 1/4 cup unsalted, melted butter, to taste
Start by getting a large pot onto the stove, and bring it to a medium heat. Add in the oil and two tablespoons of butter, and let it melt. After a few minutes, add in a few kernels of corn. Cover with a lid, give a gentle shake, then once they pop, add in the remaining kernels. Cover, and begin shaking the pot, back and forth. This will be your job until the popcorn is done popping. Midway through popping add in the marjoram, paprika, and salt. Cover and begin shaking, and shaking to finish popping.
Once the popcorn pops, dump the corn into a large bowl. Add in the melted butter, a pinch of salt, then give it a good toss. Taste, and season with more butter or salt if you prefer.
The end result is a popcorn that is perfectly spiced. It has some spice from the hot paprika, and a light oregano flavor, that even my pickiest of eaters was scraping the popcorn into the seasoning. The cool thing about seasoned popcorn is that you can come up with a variety of flavors, including a garlic, onion, and lemon pepper that I also made, and well… devoured.
Seasoned Popcorn
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of your favorite popcorn kernels
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/2 tsp hot paprika
- 1/4 cup unsalted melted butter, to taste
Instructions
- Start by getting a large pot onto the stove, and bring it to a medium heat. Add in the oil and two tablespoons of butter, and let it melt. After a few minutes, add in a few kernels of corn. Cover with a lid, give a gentle shake, then once they pop, add in the remaining kernels. Cover, and begin shaking the pot, back and forth. This will be your job until the popcorn is done popping. Midway through popping add in the marjoram, paprika, and salt. Cover and begin shaking, and shaking to finish popping.
- Once the popcorn pops, dump the corn into a large bowl. Add in the melted butter, a pinch of salt, then give it a good toss. Taste, and season with more butter or salt if you prefer.