A rainy afternoon, the first of the fall season for us. Since it was gloomy and muggy outside, we decided to stay indoors and have popcorn and a movie. It's amazing, the taste of popcorn made on the stove, after years of the microwave stuff. Fresh, buttery, with a heavenly smell -- it's a real treat.
Use a pan with a lid -- glass, if you have it, as watching the corn pop is almost as much fun as eating it. The pan should be at least 2 or 2 1/2 quarts, or you will have to hold the lid down to keep the popcorn in, and it may scorch. The amounts given below will depend on the size of your pan. This might not seem like much butter when you start pouring it over, but a little discretion is a good thing. (I remember, too, eating freshly-made popcorn when I was little and finding a really buttery piece among the not-so-buttery ones, and it was like a little treasure!)
Julia measured the popping corn, and then Laura took a photo as I shook the pan on the stove.
Laura chose the movie, one of her favorites, so we ate buttered popcorn and drank cold milk, while watching clips from great MGM musicals.
Buttered Popcorn
2 to 3 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup popping corn
4 to 5 tablespoons butter
salt, to taste
Melt the butter, either in a very small pan on the stove or in a measuring cup in the microwave.
Put the oil and the popping corn in a medium-sized pan; you want just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and enough kernels to form a single layer or somewhat less. Cover the pan and put over medium heat. Start moving the pan almost immediately to keep the kernels from burning -- quickly push and pull the pan easily across the surface of the burner, so that the pan is never off the heat but so that the oil and corn are moving constantly. After about a minute, the first kernels should start popping, and after about 3-4 minutes, most should be popped. Remove the pan from the heat when you hear that the popping is slowing down. Pour the popcorn into a serving bowl or bowls (discarding the unpopped kernels), and shake a small amount of salt over it. Add the butter slowly and evenly; toss and serve immediately.
How many servings this makes completely depends on how many people there are in the vicinity. Active work time, about 7 minutes.
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