CEiMB: Aromatic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

      The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's So Easy book, was Aromatic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash chosen by me.  You can find the recipe on page 176 or here. 

      When I learned it was my turn to choose a recipe for the group I figured I would chose one that still fell into the "winter" category as we are still having cold weather here, something that would appreciate a good soup or stew for instance.  As of late I have been expanding my cooking repertoire to include Indian food with the help/guidance of Leslie and Margaret, so when I saw the ingredients for this stew, I knew this would be a great choice along those lines as well. 

      The spicing in this stew is wonderful.  Here's what you need:  stew beef, olive oil, onion, ginger, garlic, butternut squash, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, whole-wheat couscous, almonds, and parsley (optional). Once you have these you can click on the above link to find the full recipe and directions. 
      We all loved this stew.  I made it according to the directions with the same ingredients, and the only variation that I incorporated was that I stuck it all in my crockpot on high for four hours.  It was perfectly done and the flavors had combined wonderfully well.  I also liked the tenderness of the beef from cooking it at that temperature for that long.  This will definitely be making an appearance regularly in the stew rotation here.

      Next week's assignment is Ellie's Savory Chinese Chicken Salad, chosen by Danica of Danica's Daily, on page 110 of Ellie's book The Food You Crave.  You can find the CEiMB blogroll here.