North African Vegetable Ragout

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 red jalapeno chiles or 2 serrano chilies, stemmed, seeded, finely chopped
• 1 small butternut squash (peeled, seeded, cut in 3/4 inch cubes about 4 cups)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes with juice
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups kale leaves, tough stems removed, torn in pieces
• 2 cups couscous

Recipe

• 1 heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a deep saute pan or stock pot. add onion and saute until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. add garlic and chiles and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds. add butternut squash and dry spices; saute 2 minutes.
• 2 add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and tomatoes with juices. (the squash should be just covered with liquid. add extra chicken stock if necessary.).
• 3 bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender but firm, 15-20 minutes. add chickpeas and 1 teaspoon salt. continue to simmer, 10 minutes. stir in kale and simmer until leaves are wilted and bright green, 2 minutes.
• 4 while the ragout is simmering bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, add couscous, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. cover and remove from heat. let sit 5 minutes. fluff with fork.
• 5 to serve, spoon couscous into a bowl or shallow plate, leaving a well in the center. ladle ragout into the center. garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley leaves.
• 6 to make with sausage:.
• 7 as a first step, slice 8 ounces hot italian sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. saute in deep saute pan until golden brown on all sides.
• 8 transfer sausage to a plate lined with a paper towel. pour off all but 1 tablespoon rendered fat. add onion and proceed with instructions above, substituting the sausage fat for the olive oil.
• 9 return sausage to the ragout with the chickpeas.