Cooking with Popcorn

By Michele

I recently read an online article in The Bittman Project where Mark Bittman wrote about cooking with popcorn. Curiosity got the best of me, and I’m sure glad it did!

Here’s what it said:

“Think of how much you enjoy a bowl of popcorn. Maybe you’re sitting on the couch with a bowl in your lap right now, scrolling the mail, reading this story between bites. Cue the lightbulb moment: Since I love this stuff so much, why don’t I cook with it?

We’re with you. And to remedy this obvious oversight, we have started to treat popcorn the same as any other grain-based ingredient. Like croutons, it adds crunch and heft everywhere it goes. Except there’s one big difference: Instead of getting soggy in liquid, popcorn turns pleasantly chewy while its nooks and crannies collect sauce and seasonings. Also. It tastes corny.

To demonstrate, we’ve developed a popcorn version of “midnight pasta,” so called because the recipe comes together fast enough to eat as a pre-bed snack after a big night. It also happens to be perfect for lunch or easy dinner. You can make it for a crowd or easily halve or quarter the recipe to serve one or two.”

If you are not familiar with midnight pasta, it is a classic Italian-inspired dish made with pantry staples like pasta, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Often finished with fresh parsley, and Parmesan cheese.

Midnight Pasta with Popcorn (serves 2)

Who would have thought that adding popcorn to this easy classic dish would elevate it in taste, as well as a bite of fun!

Ingredients

½ pound spaghetti

4 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cup freshly made or store-bought popcorn (I used a lightly salted popcorn)

Lemon zest (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.

2. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.

3. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, tossing to combine with the garlic and oil. If it feels dry, gradually add reserved pasta water until desired consistency is reached.

4. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, mixing well.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese until melted and creamy. Add the popcorn and toss gently.

6. Finally, sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon zest if desired, and give it one last toss.

7. Serve Immediately.

After making the pasta dish, I used the popcorn in a couple of other ways. I added popcorn atop a butternut squash soup and it certainly did act as a crouton becoming chewy while its nooks and crannies collected the soup, just as Bittman said it would.

For an easy butternut squash soup recipe, I made one from the Taste of Home website.

Note, it serves 8.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium butternut squash (3 pounds), peeled and cubed

4 cups vegetable broth

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup of lightly salted popcorn

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

2. Stir in squash, broth, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender. Puree soup using an immersion blender, or cool slightly and puree soup in batches in a blender; return to pan. Add cream; cook and stir until heated through. 

3. For each plate of soup and stir in a small amount of popcorn.

Finally, I made dark chocolate-covered popcorn, using melted Ghirardelli Intense Dark 86% chocolate and mixed it with salted shelled pistachios. Heavenly! (Hint, if you use a salted chocolate, use unsalted popcorn.)

Ingredients

A 3.17 oz bar of dark chocolate

2 cups of slightly salted popcorn

2 cups of salted shelled pistachios

Preparation

1.     Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.     Melt chocolate in microwave for about 1- 1 ½ minutes.

3.     Spread two cups of the popcorn on the parchment and drizzle the melted chocolate

over all.

4.     Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until the chocolate sets.

5.     In a serving bowl, add popcorn and toss in the pistachios.

Bittman provided several other ideas of how to use popcorn in recipes. Give them a try!

• Stuffing (especially those based on cornbread)

• Baked pastas (either inside or crumbled over the surface before baking)

• Casseroles (same as above)

• Risotto (stirred in with the rice so it gets soft, or with the cheese for crunch)

• Polenta (crumbled in with the cornmeal)

• Chili (add just before serving)

• Green salads (instead of croutons)

• Pilafs (during fluff-with-a-fork-before serving)

• Pie crusts (ground and added to the pastry like nuts)

• Cookies (whole or ground, and folded into the dough like nuts)

• Bread (ground and used like seeds inside or on top)