"Beef" Stew with "Butternut" Squash

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I made this great stew yesterday for supper. Of course, I made changes to the original recipe. I used bison which I purchased from Cherokee Bison Farm instead of beef. They are at the Dane County farmers market every Saturday including the winter market. Bison is extremely lean and at least in the stew you can't tell the difference between beef and bison. The original recipe called for butternut squash. We bought a wonderful squash at the winter farmers market from one of the newer vendors. Its over 6#! I have no idea what the variety is. I used about 1/4 of the squash in the stew.

Aromatic Bison Stew with Winter Squash

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound bison stew meat, cut into cubes (you could use beef instead)
2 tablespoons flour
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 pound butternut squash or whatever winter squash you have available, peeled and cut into
1 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups--more is OK)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (I used a can with roasted garlic)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth (from box of organic broth)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1-2 tablespoons mined fresh parsley
whole wheat or regular couscous

Heat oil in a 4-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle meat with flour. Add meat to hot oil and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate, leaving juices in saucepan. Add onion; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Return beef to pot; stir in tomatoes, sauce, broth, cumin, cinnamon and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer for about 1/2 hour. Next add the squash and cook until beef and squash are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Check to see if any salt is needed. Divide couscous and stew among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with almonds and parsley.

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