Juliana Goodwin: Ethnic cuisines bring world to the table

People often ask where I get my inspiration for recipes.Sometimes I get ideas when I travel, or a person’s personality spurs me to create something, but this week I was inspired by food from other ethnic cuisines.
                                         

I made an easy and delicious Moroccan-inspired chicken soup with couscous. I started with basic broth and added a cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to infuse it with different flavor. Then I sautéed onions and zucchini in cumin and added that to the broth. I tossed in shredded rotisserie chicken, carrots, cilantro and dried apricots (optional) and let it simmer. It was easy, healthy and delicious.

This is a time-consuming dish, but it’s still easy to make. I hope you enjoy the recipes.

Butternut squash stuffed with quinoa

Serves 4

2 large butternut squash

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

11/2 cups water

1 cup uncooked white quinoa

2 cups chicken stock

11/2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 cup pecan halves

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried apricot slices

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half horizontally and remove the seeds and guts. Poke the neck of the squash a few times with a fork. Rub olive oil all over the surface. Place in a large glass pan, flesh side up, and add the 11/2 cups water to the pan to add moisture. Bake 55 minutes.

Then remove and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the squash and return to the oven and cook 5 to 10 minutes until tender.

While the squash cooks, make quinoa according to directions except substitute chicken stock for the water in the recipe and add 1 teaspoon only of garam masala.

While the quinoa cooks, slice the apricots. When the quinoa is done, toss it with pecans, dried cranberries and apricot slices.

When squash is done, remove and stuff it with quinoa. Brush the flesh with maple syrup and remaining garam masala and serve immediately.