Morrocan Winterish Stew

Total Time: 40 min Servings: 2-3

Posted by Lily

It’s March. I am still cold but am starting to grow weary of my pots of winter soup. And so, I took the plunge into a pseudo-Moroccan stew hoping to find something that would meet my Marchy-criteria: a warm supper, that is brought into existence quickly, in one pot, using my Happy Boy bounty to perfection, while still being unsoupy enough to be eaten in
different ways. Taadaaaah!

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small-big pinch of red chili flake, depending on how much spice you like
1 onion, chopped small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
pinch of cinnamon
Salt and pepper
1 pound butternut squash (or other yummy, firm, winter squash), large dice
3/4 pound potatoes, in not too small chunks
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can of garbanzos, drained
1 small can diced tomatoes, with juices (or 2 small fresh tomatoes if they’re in season)
A handful of nettles*
This is totally optional. I was looking to use them and they tasted quite good in the stew, but it would have been good without them too. If you want to use them and are new to nettles, make sure that you don’t handle the raw nettles barehanded. I usually dump them on my cutting board and cut them into smaller pieces and scrape them with a knife, directly into the pot.
5-6 threads of saffron
green olives (mine had pimento, I admit it!)

PREPARATION
In a Dutch oven or similarly sized medium-large pot, heat the oil for about a minute on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Heat butter and olive oil in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Once onions are translucent, add potatoes and butternut. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the remaining ingredients except for the olives. Cook for about ten minutes until potatoes and squash are just tender. Take off heat and stir in olives. Serve!

Serving ideas:
One night I ate this over steamed couscous. The next night I sautéed up the rest of my chard and ate it over that. Both times I topped with lightly toasted nuts (I did almonds one night and pepitas the second) and a dollop of plain yogurt. I put some cilantro on it on couscous night and wished that I had some harissa to put on top too.