This weekend was the Texas/OU game — also known as the Red River Rivalry. This is serious football. When I was in law school at the University of Texas, I remember getting the schedule for on-campus interviews, and at the bottom it noted that there would be no interviews on “Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the Texas/OU game.” Yep — the Texas/OU game is right up there with the Jewish high holy days.
OU beat Texas this year, as happens from time to time. But even though I’m not celebrating a victory for my alma mater, I am celebrating this recipe for Truffled Popcorn, which is a great football party snack. Truffles, however, are an acquired taste, and if you have not yet acquired that taste, then don’t bother with this recipe. In fact, I first bought truffle oil a few years ago, and threw the bottle out because I thought it had gone bad. Silly girl. But if you are a truffle lover, this popcorn is a special treat. Truffle oils tend to vary in intensity and flavor, so you might want to add the oil a bit at a time and taste as you go, to make sure the truffle flavor does not become overwhelming.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon truffle oil
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon rotisserie chicken seasoning, herbes de provence, or other rosemary spice blend
- Pour vegetable oil into a heavy large pot with a lid. Place 3 kernels in the oil, cover pot, and heat over medium high heat. When the first kernel pops, immediately add the popcorn kernels. Shake the pot gently to distribute kernels evenly, and leave lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. When the popping slows to 2-3 seconds apart, remove from heat and pour popcorn into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle truffle oil over popcorn, sprinkle pepper, salt, and seasoning blend over popcorn, and mix until combined.
