Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash and Scallion Couscous

I am a fan of Moroccan cuisine. When I saw this recipe in the Cooking Light Magazine, I was surprised. The recipe was listed as a cook time of 40 minutes. Since typically, tajines in Moroccan cuisine are slow-cooked stews braised at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. They are traditionally cooked in the tajine pot. I am a enthusiast of this magazine, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoons of cinnamon
2/3 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 pound beef shoulder roast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup fat-free, lower sodium chicken broth
1 14.5 can of diced tomatoes
3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
1/2 cup of cilantro

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Add beef; toss to coat. Heat in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and shallots; cook 4 minutes or until brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash; cover, reduce heat, and simmer in 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Yields 4 servings.

Calories 284 Protein 26.6 grams

For the Scallion couscous. Bring 3/4 cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 1 cup of uncooked couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. Stir in 1/3 cup of chopped green onion. Yields 4 servings.
Calories 169

Review: 5 out of 10. What a let down. This dish was bland and one dimensional. It was mediocre as best. The upside was that I was able to get my children to eat squash, which is a feat on it's own. Also, the couscous was acceptable. The consensus among the family was it was edible, but we would not want this again.