The Menu:
– Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash Stew
– Plain White Rice
– Baba Ganoush (from Wegmans) with Pita
This stew is my attempt to recreate a dish that a friend made for our family when our son was born. The original version did not have butternut squash and it was also made by someone Algerian. So yeah, not exactly the same dish. Plus, the original was made with love and tons of thoughtfulness…no way to duplicate that.
At any rate, my recipe (below) is a modification of one that I found in one of those recipe cards that they have at the grocery store. I’ve made it twice in the past and my daughter really liked it….so I’m trying again, hoping for a similar reaction.
Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash Stew
The recipe calls for harissa, which is a hot red pepper spice paste/sauce used in various parts of North Africa. The only reason I call this dish Moroccan is that the particular brand of harissa I use comes from Morocco. If you don’t have harissa, I think you can easily replace it with a teaspoon of all-spice and some red pepper flakes….and designate the dish from whatever part of the world you please 😉 The recipe below serves 4.
– 2 teaspoon olive oil
– 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
– 1 medium onion
– 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– 1 tsp harissa paste (more if you like it spicy)
– 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
– 1 diced tomato
– 1/4 cup tomato paste
– 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded an cubed (about 4 cups
– 1/2 cup golden raisins
– 2 tbsp fresh lime
Method:
– Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook till browned.
– Add onion, carrots and garlic. Cook till softened and then add cumin and harissa.
– Add broth, tomato, tomato paste, squash and raisins. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer ~20 minutes till squash is tender.
– Stir in lime juice and serve with plain white rice.
The Verdict:
Overall the Moroccan stew was a success at our house. Alex really truly enjoyed it…never met a raisin that he didn’t love. Kavya ate it…liked it well enough…or in her words, “it’s really actually alright, Mummy.” Dave and I enjoyed it as much as we did in the past. The heat of the harissa balanced pretty well with the sweetness of the squash and the raisins. An enjoyable meal for sure and worth cooking again in the future.
Heather’s crock pot dinner had mixed reviews…the kids enjoyed it. Kavya was impressed that the chicken was not at all “chewy”. Alex also never met a noodle he didn’t love…so a hit there too. Dave enjoyed the meal while I thought it was alright. Given how easy the recipe is and given the kids’ response (and given the fact that I actually got to use my crock pot, aka dust collector), I might give this recipe another try sometime soon. Thanks, Heather! Also, thanks to your mom for the recommendation!
You can rinse off the squash seeds and bake them. Makes a great snack.
Never thought to do it…great idea! Do you put any salt on the seeds (before or after baking)? Or does it taste fine without salt?
I don’t add salt, but since I’m not a salt user, that probably doesn’t count. btw, you can do this with pumpkin seeds too.