Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash with Scallion Couscous

So what exactly is a Tagine? I had to ask the same question. "It is a Moroccan dish named after the special pot in which it is cooked." Phew, thank you Wikipedia. You can go here to read more about it and see a picture.

This dish is touted, as "ready in 40 minutes." And it was. The most time-consuming part is cutting the butternut squash—mmmmmm butternut squash—so worth it! It's such a nice complement to this dish.

The flavors in this are very bold. In fact, I put it all together and left it simmering on the stove while I ran to pick up my son from piano lessons. His piano teacher asked me, "Have you been cooking?" The aroma had followed me. Thankfully, she said it smelled great! The taste of this dish was just as robust as the aroma. The Packed Table gave this great reviews! Again, a lot going on—but it was a wonderful blend of spices (including cinnamon), that melded nicely with the beef and the squash. Served with couscous, all the flavors integrate nicely . If you're preparing this for young children, you may want to cut the amount of crushed red pepper that you use, or omit it altogether.

Beef Tagine with Butternut Sqash

with Scallion Couscous

Adapted from Cooking Light

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1-pound) beef shoulder roast or petite tender roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; toss well to coat.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and onions; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash; cover reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Scallion Couscous

• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup couscous
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions

Bring broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 1 cup uncooked couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Stir in green onions. Serve with the Beef Tagine.

Yield: 4 servings