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Tagine-Inspired Squash & Couscous Stew

Image of prepared Tagine-Inspired Squash & Couscous Stew
  • prep time: 20 min
  • total time: 1 hr 25 min
  • serves: 6 people

Tagine refers to both the aromatic North African stew itself as well as the vessel it's cooked in, but you don't need a special pot to make this Tagine-Inspired Squash & Couscous Stew.   The blend of spices is what makes this dish amazing.  It coats the vegetables as they roast, then the roasting pan is deglazed with broth and spicy harissa so that anything that's caramelized on the bottom of the pan is captured in the sauce.  Couscous is cooked in more broth for extra flavor, then tossed with the roasted vegetables, sauce and sweet and salty bites of olives, raisins and preserved lemon.  This recipe was created in partnership with Bon Appétit and DeVonn Francis.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek powder
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1 acorn or small kabocha squash, cut in half and seeded
  • 2 green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 poblano chile, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth
  • 2 tablespoons harissa red chili paste
  • 8 ounces uncooked couscous
  • 2 cups Castelvetrano olives, pitted
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 cup fresh dill weed, roughly chopped
  • 1 preserved Meyer lemon or conventional lemon, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 2 cups plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

  • Step 1

    Heat the oven to 375°F.  Mix the olive oil, coriander, paprika, brown sugar, cinnamon, fenugreek and salt in a large bowl.

  • Step 2

    Rub the cut sides of the squash with the seasoning mix and place the squash, cut-side down, into a deep roasting pan. Add the green peppers, onion and poblano chile to the bowl with the remaining seasoning and toss to coat.

  • Step 3

    Roast the squash on the middle oven rack for 25 minutes.  Arrange the peppers and onions around the squash and roast for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the edges are charred.  Let the vegetables cool, then remove from the roasting pan.  Cut the squash into bite-sized pieces.

  • Step 4

    Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.  To deglaze the roasting pan, stir 2 cups broth and the harissa in the pan.  Return the roasting pan to the oven for 4 minutes.  Remove the roasting pan from the oven and stir the broth mixture to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

  • Step 5

    Heat the remaining 2 cups broth in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to a boil.  Stir in the couscous.  Cover and remove from the heat.  Let stand for 5 minutes or until the couscous is done.  Uncover and fluff the couscous with a fork.

  • Step 6

    Add the roasted vegetables, the broth mixture from the roasting pan, the olives, cilantro, dill, lemon and raisins to the couscous and toss lightly to combine.  Season to taste with additional kosher salt.  Serve with the yogurt.

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