Afghan Squash and Beef Dish / Afgan Etli Kabak

Writer's Note:  I've moved to DC!  In the process of moving and settling in the blog has fallen to the wayside, but I have decided to resuscitate it with a tasty Afghan dish adopted for Turkish palates. There is an amazing Afghan restaurant called The Helmand in Boston (it has a twin in San Francisco).  The food is amazing, and I have been hooked ever since.  A version of this dish is served there.  It is completely addictive and keeps for days in the fridge.  I promise you won't regret the effort. 

Ingredients:

Squash:

2 lbs butternut squash or acorn squash, cut into 1 inch cubes (don't need to peel the acorn squash)
1/3 cup brown sugar

2-3 tbsp. Garam Masala

1-2 tsp. Aleppo Pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
fresh pepper to taste

Beef:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb. ground beef
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp minced fresh ginger (or garlic)
1 cup diced canned tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup hot water
1 tsp. salt

Yogurt:
2 cups plan full-fat Greek yogurt
1-2 tsp. dried mint
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 garlic cloves, mashed in mortar and pestle (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In large baking dish, toss the squash with the other squash ingredients and bake for 40 minutes until bubbly and a little browned, stirring once after 25 minutes.

While the squash are baking, saute the onions in olive oil until soft, then add the cumin, coriander, salt and ginger/garlic and saute until fragrant (3 minutes).  Add the beef and saute until brown.  Add the green pepper and saute 2-3 more minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook for 7 minutes or until tomato juice is absorbed.  Finally, add the tomato paste and the water and simmer over medium heat until the water evaporates and the flavors have blended.  Taste and adjust seasonings for your taste.

Combine yogurt ingredients except for the mint.  Serve beef mixture over the squash with yogurt on top.  Sprinkle dried mint on top of each bowl.