I have always held a vague notion that popcorn is a low-fat snack, I must have read it in a magazine. Despite this knowledge I have never really taken to it in or outside the confines of the cinema because I find the kernels annoying and why would I waste my time with popcorn when there is a vast, kaleidoscopic world of nibbles ripe for the picking?
No, if I had settled on popcorn as my nibble of choice then I would never have experienced the wonders of a bag of Walkers worcester sauce flavoured crisps. I certainly wouldn’t have known the simple pleasure of grissini dipped in mustard, sundried tomatoes filled with cheese and crostini with tomato puree. All these nibbles were conjured up on a whim using ingredients lying around my kitchen and most importantly they were made with a total disregard for calorific content.
Still, I have put on a bit of weight since starting this blog and as I wandered up the Rice and Pulses aisle yesterday I spied a bag of popcorn kernels and succumbed. One bag of kernels cost me 70 pence. When one compares that to Sensations the financial benefits of popcorn become apparent.
I added some spices and butter to the popcorn because plain popcorn is just too depressing. Even with a butter glaze this is still like celery calories-wise compared to a parma ham bundle.
To make some spicy popcorn heat a saucepan on the hob then add a glug of cooking oil. Add the kernels, about one handful per person. Do not make the mistake I did and throw in a quarter of the bag. You will also need to consider the size of your saucepan, which I did not, otherwise you will end up with an overflow of popcorn.
Place the saucepan lid firmly on the pan and let the kernels pop away. Keep shaking the pan all the time to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom. Once the popping has subsided the popcorn is ready.
In a small saucepan melt some butter then add a spice mix of your choice. I used the rub I had made a few weeks earlier which included brown sugar. Heat the sauce until the spices and any sugars have dissolved then drizzle this glaze over the popcorn making sure to thoroughly stir the corn.
The result is a nibble that, whilst still vastly inferior to the crisp, could give a mini cheddar or a plain grissini a run for its money.
[...] since my Mum told me that the photos I used in one of my early posts looked like shots from the kitchen of a struggling single mother (she had a point) I have been very [...]