Popcorn with Bacon and Parmesan
I made this for first time when my mate, big man Carlos, came over to watch a game. I’d fried up some bacon that morning and when I looked over at leftover fat, I thought, “Hmm, I wonder if that could work with popcorn.” It more than worked: Carlos went mad for it. He was scooping it out of bowl, talking with his mouth full, saying, “Man, this is freaking amazing! We’ve got to package this.” But, of course, beauty of this snack is its freshness and warm melted cheese. He’s right . . . this popcorn is off charts. Makes about 8 cups of popped popcorn.
I made this for the first time when my mate, the big man Carlos, came over to watch a game. I’d fried up some bacon that morning and when I looked over at the leftover fat, I thought, “Hmm, I wonder if that could work with popcorn.” It more than worked: Carlos went mad for it. He was scooping it out of the bowl, talking with his mouth full, saying, “Man, this is freaking amazing! We’ve got to package this.” But, of course, the beauty of this snack is its freshness and the warm melted cheese. He’s right . . . this popcorn is off the charts. Makes 8 cups of popped popcorn.
Ingredients
6 slices bacon (about 6 ounces), finely chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup organic popcorn kernels
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1 1/2-ounce piece Parmesan cheese
6 slices bacon (about180g), finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup organic popcorn kernels
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 x 45g piece Parmesan cheese
Directions
PREP TIME
MINS
COOKING TIME
MINS
Serves
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring as fat renders, for about 5 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour bacon fat into a small bowl, leaving brown solids behind. Reserve bacon fat.
Heat a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil and popcorn kernels and cover pot. Once kernels begin to pop, using pot holders, shake pan constantly over heat as kernels pop for about 5 minutes, or until all kernels have popped.
In a large bowl, toss popcorn with bacon, reserved bacon fat, and salt. Using a Microplane grater, finely grate most of Parmesan over popcorn and toss to coat. Grate more cheese on top and serve immediately.
Heat a large heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring as the fat renders, for about 5 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour the bacon fat into a small bowl, leaving the brown solids behind. Reserve the bacon fat.
Heat a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and popcorn kernels and cover the pot. Once the kernels begin to pop, using pot holders, shake the pan constantly over the heat as the kernels pop for about 5 minutes, or until all the kernels have popped.
In a large bowl, toss the popcorn with the bacon, reserved bacon fat, and the salt. Using a Microplane grater, finely grate most of the Parmesan over the popcorn and toss to coat. Grate more cheese on top and serve immediately.
