Boulder Market Meals: Charred shishito peppers spice up fresh tostadas

Market Meals is a collaboration between Boulder Reporting Lab and the Boulder County Farmers Markets, featuring weekly seasonal recipes built around ingredients from local growers, ranchers and food producers. Find it in Nibbles every Tuesday and on Boulder Reporting Lab. Sign up to get Nibbles in your inbox.

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Here in Colorado, chilies are a main event at summer markets. Some peppers are sweet and can be eaten raw. As summer turns to fall, others, including Anaheim peppers, jalapeños and serranos, beg to be roasted over an open flame to release their heat. Shishitos are a different sort of thin-skinned pepper, known for their mostly mild, slightly sweet flavor. They are often blistered in oil and tossed with salt.

This week’s recipe takes an alternative approach to cooking shishitos and works equally well as a quick weeknight meal or an appetizer for a party. Just be aware: While most shishitos are mild, about one in 10 may surprise you with a little heat!

Fresh Shishito Tostadas

• 5 corn tortillas
• About 2 tablespoons olive oil
• About 6 ounces shishito peppers, stems removed
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• Salt, to taste
• Juice of 2 limes  
• ¾ cup refried beans (homemade or prepared)
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Toppings: avocado slices, crumbled queso fresco and chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tortillas on both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden. Set aside.

Heat a pan over high heat and add a splash of olive oil. Once hot, add the peppers, onion and salt to taste. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the peppers and onion are soft and slightly charred. Reduce the heat to low, add the juice of one lime and cook for a few more minutes.

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Make the yogurt sauce by mixing the yogurt, salt, cumin and juice of the remaining lime in a small bowl.

Assemble the tostadas by spreading refried beans on each tortilla. Top with the pepper and onion mixture and drizzle with the yogurt sauce. Add avocado, cheese and cilantro. Serve with salsa or hot sauce.

What’s fresh this week? Farmers are bringing sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, green onions, summer squash, melons, peaches, carrots, radishes, sugar snap peas, fennel, broccoli, fresh bouquets, meat, eggs and more to the Boulder and Longmont farmers markets this week.

Visiting the Markets

Boulder Farmers Market

• 13th Street between Arapahoe Ave. and Canyon Blvd.
• 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays, April 4-Nov. 21; 3:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesdays, May 6-Oct. 7
• More information

Longmont Farmers Market

• Boulder County Fairgrounds
• 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, April 4-Nov. 21
• More information 

Have a tip or suggestion? Send your comments, questions and ideas to [email protected].

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