Israel, now home to more than 170,000 people of Ethiopian descent, has a vibrant Ethiopian culinary scene.

Born to a Beta Israel father and an Ethiopian Christian mother who converted to Judaism upon immigrating to Israel, 34-year-old Elazar Tamano grew up looking for new ways to express his heritage. After being the runner-up on one of Israel’s popular television cooking competition shows, The Next Restaurant, the Tel Aviv resident began to stage his sold-out Ethiopian popup dinners all over the country to showcase his twists on tradition, like berbere-spiced fish tartare on a teff cracker and spicy long-cooked meat encased in a crispy injera pocket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Galléria Europa (@galleria__europa)

RELATED READING: An Ethiopian ‘Mouthful’ From Beejhy Barhany

Fanta Prada, the 42-year-old proprietor of Balinjera, an Ethiopian restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Yemenite Quarter is a former attorney and model who pivoted a decade ago to food to ensure she was doing her part to promote Ethiopian culture.

“It’s about so much more than the food,” Prada explained as she served me a vegetarian sampler arranged artfully on a giant round of injera bread. Everything in her restaurant is prepared fresh daily, including her gingery Swiss chard that I featured in my book Sababa. “It’s about thousands of years of longing for Israel and preserving that story for future generations.”

Quick-Cooked Awaze Swiss Chard (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients

• 6 medium red or green jalapeños, seeded if desired, coarsely chopped
• 1 small dried chile de arbol
• 1 garlic clove
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 3 small green jalapeños
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 jumbo onion, finely chopped (3 cups)
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard (1 1/4 pounds), rinsed, dried and thinly sliced (about 8 cups sliced), sliced lower stems kept separate
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Tiny pinch of ground cloves
• Tiny pinch of ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Make the awaze: Combine the jalapeños, chile de arbol, garlic, ginger, cilantro, oil and salt in a small blender or food processor and process until a unified, almost smooth mixture forms, 15 seconds. Seal the awaze in a glass jar and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

2. Make the Swiss chard: Arrange a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler. Arrange 2 of the jalapeños on a baking sheet and broil until the skins are puffed and blistered, 10 minutes. Cool completely, remove and discard the stems and chop.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, 8 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic and chard stems and cook until slightly softened, 1 to 2 additional minutes. Add the chard leaves, salt, cloves, cardamom, flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of the awaze and cook, stirring, until wilted and the stems are soft, 10 minutes. Slice the remaining jalapeño into thin rounds. Stir in the cooked and raw jalapeños, add the lemon juice and season with salt to taste.