Smoky mango-squash soup

Today isn't "soup day," but it felt like the perfect day for the mango-squash soup from Everyday with Rachel Ray (page 82, but I did a little experimental cooking, too). It's uncharacteristically warm this late in the fall, so I thought I was justified in making soup with a little Mexican flair. This soup was amazing in texture, but smoking hot in flavor. In fact, it was almost too spicy for my taste, but it was so good I couldn't help torturing my taste buds.

Rachel Ray became a famous chef because her recipes are extremely practical and can be prepared by every amateur cook across the world, yet each of her recipes are classy and very flavorful. I even feel important saying "smoky mango-squash soup," but after tasting this delightful soup, I'd change "smoky" to "spicy." Yowzers, it was spicy!

The preparation was very straightforward. First, I sauteed onions in olive oil, then added the squash, pepper (in sauce) and chiles and let them cook for about 20 minutes; until the squash was soft. After this, I added the chicken stock and brought the contents and soup to a boil then let it simmer 15 minutes. I stirred in the mango, but didn't cook them. I placed all of the contents in a blender and pureed it. It was fabulous.

The texture of the soup was superb. It was very smooth, but as I said, it was very spicy. The adobo sauce was the main culprit, but it was also necessary to give it the sweet Mexican flavor. It complimented the mango very well. Unfortunately, I was a little weak for how spicy it was, but it surely was terrific.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
1 can chipotle red peppers in adobo sauce
1 can diced chiles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 cups chicken stock
2 mangoes (cubed)
3/4 cup half and half
salt and pepper (to taste)
chives (for sprinkling)

Music: America - Ventura Highway
Weather: 63-degrees, super nice