Your Popcorn Needs All the Rosemary You Have
Sometimes life gives you more than you can handle, and sometimes it gives you herbs. Whether you have a congested garden, generous friends with an overly productive garden, or a grocery store that refuses to sell herbs in anything other than packaged plastic cots, it’s not always easy to get the right amount of herbs. That’s okay: you can use them to make popcorn.
It works especially well with woody herbs like rosemary and thyme (the mild ones burn), which is great because rosemary is a herb that I buy all the time. (Its taste is so convincing, and I always use a small portion of my purchase.) Handfuls of these herbs can be tossed into a popcorn pot along with three dough kernels, where they will infuse the oil as it warms up. I know I usually say you don’t need dough grains , but if you add all the herb popcorn, it will be difficult to remove the herbs when all the corn starts to come off.
How much rosemary and thyme can you add this way? A whole bunch – just a ton. Are there 15 twigs? Add them all. Five sprigs of rosemary in half a cup of butter were made for a fragrant and light popcorn flavor, but 10 did make a truly herbal savory snack that could be found at home in a bougie wine bar. I don’t think you can overdo it. To make it you will need:
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- A large handful (at least 10 sprigs) rosemary or thyme
- 1/3 cup popcorn
Add herbs to a large saucepan and oil over. Add three dough kernels to a saucepan and heat everything over medium to high heat. Once those three kernels have burst (and your kitchen smells totally gourmet), remove the herbs and add the rest of the popcorn. Cover most of the pot with a lid, leaving a small hole for steam to escape, and let the corn burst, shaking the pot occasionally. Once it bursts about every two seconds, remove the pan from the burner and transfer the popcorn to a large bowl. Season with fine salt, let sit for five minutes until completely crispy, and enjoy.