Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew or Why I Love Harry's

If you live in Santa Fe you know about Harry's. If you do not live in Santa Fe now you know about Harry's Roadhouse Restaurant , find them here. We are talking home-cooked comfort food, informal, unpretentious, with that diner drive-in vibe inside, but still a bit of Santa Fe sophistication. Everything is top quality, much of it organic and all of it unforgettable.  

Harry's has an incredible (vegan!) Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew on their menu and it is one of my favorites. It is the perfect dish to make using more of my wonderful fresh veggies from Cider Mills Farm.

Full disclosure here, I think I used every dish and small appliance I own prepping this recipe, but the end results are worth it. Especially if you enjoy the aromatic, multilayer flavors of Moroccan cuisine.

The stew is served with two condiments on the side. These are a must, they are flavorful but not hot.  I suggest making them a day ahead. The spice mix can also be made a day ahead. The carrots and butternut squash can also be prepped a day ahead or early in the day. Potatoes should be cut last minute. This makes 8-10 servings and is great for your vegetarian, and vegan guests if you swap the butter for olive or coconut oil.

Condiments:

Charmula

1 bunch cilantro leaves

1 seeded jalapeno

1/2 tbs minced garlic

6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a blender

Harissa

1/4 cup New Mexico mild chili powder

2 tbs minced garlic

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1/2 tbs salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp caraway

1/2 tsp coriander

Mix chili powder, garlic, red wine vinegar,

salt, oil, and water in a food processor.

Toast cumin, caraway and coriander in a hot

dry skillet. Grind in a spice grinder and

add to other ingredients

Stew

1 cup diced onion

1tbs minced garlic

6 tbs butter

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

6 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded

   and diced into 1-inch pieces

2 cups carrots, diced into 1-inch pieces

2 cups quartered red potatoes

8 cups of vegetable stock or water ( I use 4 cups stock, 4 cups water)

Pinch saffron

1 bay leaf

2 cups cooked chick peas (if you used canned, rinse and drain them)

1/2 cup raisins

1 small bag fresh spinach

In a 6-quart pot, sauté onion and garlic in butter until soft. Add salt, pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon; sauté briefly. Then add squash, carrots, potatoes, stock or water, saffron, and bay

leaf. Simmer over low heat. When all of the vegetables are soft, fold in chickpeas, raisins, and spinach.

Serve over Couscous (follow directions on package using 4 cups of quick-cooking couscous) garnished with cilantro. Spoon condiments onto top of stew as desired. 

Thank you Harry's Roadhouse! Hope to see you soon! You can find Harry's Roadhouse Cookbook available here. Oh, and Harry's is way above sea level, so this cookbook is perfectly wonderful for those of us cooking at high altitude! Enjoy ❤