Taste of Tucson: Tibs serve as a nice change from typical Southwestern fare

I love shopping at small international grocers. The meat selections are intriguing, and the butchers often offer locally-raised and butchered meat. They don’t bat an eye when I say that I need a pound of leg of lamb or shoulder, whereas the meat counters at my chain markets rarely offer such small quantities.

As I wandered the aisles, I remembered tibs, the stewy Ethiopian dish I’d first encountered when I lived in Detroit. My first visit to the legendary Blue Nile restaurant had been eye-opening — I’d never tasted injera, the spongy flatbread made from fermented teff flour, and I’d certainly never been exposed to such fragrant, flavorful food.

Tibs, I thought, would make a nice change from my more usual Southwestern-inspired suppers.

It’s easy enough to make. Like many Ethiopian dishes, it begins with a slow braise of vegetables — in this case, onions — with seasonings, including the fiery berbere. Then the meat — beef, lamb, or chicken, most commonly, although I’ve also seen a tibs-like dish made with firm white fish — is browned and added to the sauce.