I found this recipe in the December/January issue of Fine Cooking and thought it sounded good and would make for a great snack to serve on football watching days. (Or anytime actually.) This recipe uses “regular” popcorn, you know, the kind you cook on the stove versus in the microwave. I hadn’t made popcorn this way in about 20 years and was surprised at how easy it was…in my mind, I remember it being harder and messier. And it’s a lot less expensive when you make it this way. But, you could always substitute microwave popcorn if you need to.

I was really looking forward to making this but I was even more excited to taste it. As I was chopping up the sun-dried tomatoes though, which were in a package clearly marked Gluten Free on the front, I flipped the container over for serving size information and saw this written in smaller letters…”Manufactured on shared equipment with wheat, milk, peanuts, tree nuts and soy.”

Well so much for me sampling this since I have celiac disease and would become sick eating anything that has been in contact with any trace of wheat. Darn! (Ok, I thought something stronger than darn.) So in all honesty, I can’t actually say how this tastes but it got a thumbs-up from my husband and our next door neighbors…who I contacted at 7:30 that  evening asking, “Can I bring popcorn over for you to sample and give me feedback on?” I think half the bag was eaten before I made it back out the door!

The ingredients sound just like you’re making a pepperoni pizza…pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter, olive oil, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and garlic.

You make a “paste” with the tomatoes, butter and olive oil using a small food processor or spice grinder but if you don’t have either one of those, you can use a fork and small bowl and mash and mix it up that way.

Cheese and spices…

Pepperoni pizza popcorn…

 

PEPPERONI PIZZA POPCORN –

Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

12 slices pepperoni, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips

1 1/2 oz. sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), finely chopped (1/2 cup) *for gluten free version, check tomato label

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Kosher salt

1 batch freshly popped Basic Popcorn (recipe below)

Directions:

In a 10-inch skillet, cook the pepperoni over medium heat, stirring constantly, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool.

In a small processor or spice grinder, blend the tomatoes, butter, and oil into a paste.

In a small bowl, whisk the cheese, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Toss the tomato butter with the popcorn, using your fingers to distribute the tomato pieces. Add the cheese mixture and toss well. Toss in the pepperoni and season to taste with additional salt.

 

BASIC POPCORN –

Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil or other vegetable oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

Directions:

Put the oil and 2 or 3 popcorn kernels in a heavy-duty 4 1/2- to 5 1/2-quart pot. Partially cover and heat over medium-high heat until the kernels pop.

Add the rest of the popcorn kernels. Cover the pot most of the way and shake the pot back and forth constantly once the heavy popping starts. After about 3 minutes, the popping should slow down; when you can count to 5 without a pop, it’s done. Remove from the heat, and give the pot a final shake.

Transfer to a large bowl.