An Inspired Cook

I have memories of my Mom making traditional peanut brittle around the holidays.  Everything she made always tasted so good.  She used to make several different types of candies but the peanut brittle was always my favorite.  That was back in the day, times have changed and now you can find red or green chile brittle here in New Mexico and it’s quite the addictive treat.  Let me tell you about the green chile brittle.  It has sweet and hot flavors coming from the spices on the pistachios along with green chile powder.  Instead of using peanuts I added green chile pistachios which I think makes this brittle so special.  First you taste the sweetness of the hardened sugar and corn syrup, next up you taste the flavors of the pistachio nuts and the heat from the chile powder coming on the back end.  I’m a little obsessive compulsive and don’t know when to stop so I made another batch, this time adding red chile flakes and Pinon nuts aka pine nuts.  I took some local NM dried red chiles and ran them through a grinder to get the fresh flakes that would spice up the brittle.  The Pinons were roasted but unsalted so I added a hint of salt which helps balance all the flavors.  Actually the red chile flakes were a bit hotter than the green chile powder which was a surprise to me.  I couldn’t pick one over the other, they are both so good and such a treat this time of year.  And the other thing about this brittle is how easy it is to make.  I found a great recipe from “Veggie Obsession” who made brittle in the microwave.  One bowl is all you need, just add the ingredients and microwave.  Find the wattage of your microwave and use a conversion chart to find out how many minutes is necessary to microwave.  Once you have the ingredients it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

The recipe I found on “Veggie Obsession” makes brittle in the microwave rather than on top of the stove.  I found this method to much easier and time saving.  I love that there are no candy thermometers to mess with.  Just find the wattage on your microwave and adjust the timing accordingly.  I found this conversion chart helpful at Microwave Cooking for One.  The cooking time in my recipe reflects my microwave at 1000 watts. Adjust accordingly.  For the green chile pistachio brittle you will need sugar, corn syrup, green chile pistachios, green chile powder, unsalted butter and baking soda.  I added some green food coloring to make it look more appealing.  I have made it in the past without the added color and found it looking more brownish and mossy looking which was not as appetizing.

Make sure you have a glass microwave safe bowl and add the corn syrup and sugar together.

Use a toothpick to add in the food coloring.  I may have added more than intended.  A little bit goes a long way . . .

Microwave the sugar and corn syrup mixture on high for 3.30 minutes.  It will be very bubbly like this.

Stir in the pistachio nuts and back into the microwave for 2.30 minutes.  FYI if you use unsalted nuts, stir in 1/8 teaspoon of salt along with the pistachio nuts.

This is how it should look when it comes out of the microwave.

Now add the green chile powder and the tablespoon of butter  Stir until the butter has melted then back into the microwave for 1.20 minutes more.

This is how it looks as it comes out of the microwave.

Once you add the baking soda, quickly stir as it will become foamy.

Prepare a baking sheet by either buttering it over all sides or using a silpat mat.  I prefer to use a silpat mat, no sticking and easy cleanup.

Pour and spread the brittle over the silpat mat and let cool completely.

I found if I dropped the pan on top of the stove the brittle would easily break apart.  Once you have big pieces broken apart, you can now break into smaller pieces.  **I have a gas range with cast iron grates but would never drop this on a glass top of an electric stove.

You know you want a piece . . .

Next up is the red chile pinon brittle.  Here’s the chiles I used.  My friend MJ over at MJ’s Kitchen told me that Sichler’s red chiles are her choice when making red chile recipes.  I’m impressed, I love the flavor!

Run the dried chiles through a grinder.  I wanted chile flakes that could be seen in the brittle and have a big taste.

Ingredients for the red chile pinon brittle includes sugar, corn syrup, unsalted butter, chile flakes, baking soda and some red food coloring.  I did add a pinch of salt since my pinons were unsalted.  Use the same amounts as the green chile pistachio brittle.

I’m adding the red food coloring to the sugar and corn syrup mix.

I didn’t add as much color this time.  We’ll see how it looks afterwards.

Yes, I love this color!  First step of microwaving. It’s bubbling just like it should.

Add the pinons and back into the microwave for the next step.

Add the chile flakes, salt and butter. Stir to mix the chile flakes in and melt the butter.  Back into the microwave for the last time.

Time to add the baking soda.  Stir in quick as the mixture will bubble up and almost appear foamy.

Pour the mix onto your silpat and spread the mixture with a spatula.

When it’s completely cooled, drop the pan on the top of the stove to break it apart.  Once you have some big pieces you can easily break smaller pieces off.

In the end this batch had an orange sheen but it’s still looks pretty cool, don’t you think!

So which would you choose?

Green Chile Pistachio Brittle or Red Chile Pinon Brittle

Green Chile Pistachio Brittle  (adapted from Veggie Obsession)

1/2 cup Corn Syrup
1 cup White Sugar
1 cup shelled Green Chile Pistachios (order Heart of the Desert pistachios here)
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Green Chile Powder (order here)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 teaspoon Salt (use only if pistachios are not salted)
Green Food Coloring (optional)

Mix together the corn syrup and sugar in a large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 3.30 minutes.  The mixture will appear bubbly.  Add the pistachios and microwave 2.30 minutes on high.  Add the butter and green chile powder.  Stir together and microwave on high 1.20 minutes.  Stir in the baking soda and stir quickly as the mixture will rise and foam.  Spread the mixture with a spatula over a buttered baking sheet or silpat mat.  When the brittle has cooled sufficiently, break apart the brittle by flexing the pan or dropping against a hard surface.

**My microwave wattage is 1000 watts.  If you need a conversion chart for a microwave with different wattage go to https://www.microwavecookingforone.com/Charts/Wattage.html 

Red Chile Pinon Brittle

1/2 cup Corn Syrup
1 cup White Sugar
1 cup Pinons aka Pine Nuts
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Red Chile Flakes ( order here)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 teaspoon Salt (use only if pinons are not salted)
Red Food coloring (optional)

Mix together the corn syrup and sugar in a large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 3.30 minutes.  The mixture will appear bubbly.  Add the pinons and microwave 2.30 minutes on high.  Add the butter, salt and red chile flakes.  Stir together and microwave on high 1.20 minutes.  Stir in the baking soda and stir quickly as the mixture will rise and foam.  Spread the mixture with a spatula over a buttered baking sheet or silpat mat.  When the brittle has cooled sufficiently, break apart the brittle by flexing the pan or dropping against a hard surface.

**My microwave wattage is 1000 watts.  If you need a conversion chart for a microwave with different wattage go to https://www.microwavecookingforone.com/Charts/Wattage.html