Chipotle Butternut Soup

Sorry for that short hiatus...

In the last post I promised a recipe for butternut squash and I've got a really good one for you.  A while ago, I had purchased a butternut squash by mistake (I wanted a spaghetti squash, but wasn't paying attention and picked up the butternut instead).  Thankfully, squash has a good shelf life when stored in a cool place - like my freezing house - and that gave me plenty of time to find a recipe worth trying.  I was hoping that my husband had grown out of his strong dislike for butternut squash and would be pleased with the recipe I found.  

It's pretty cold in this neck of the woods and soup sounded yummy.  So I searched for a bit and finally found a recipe for "butternut squash, peanut and chipotle soup".  Now, I'd never had much butternut squash so I wasn't sure if those flavors would be a good combination or not, but it sounded like an adventure and I had most of the necessary ingredients on hand.  Win!

The thing about this soup is that it's a pureed soup, so be prepared that it will take a bit of extra time.  After it cooks, the soup will need to be cooled, then placed in a blender (in batches) to achieve that smooth, creamy texture.  Believe me, it's worth it.  The flavors of this soup are very unique, but they work so well together!  Served with a piece of toast.....perfection.  I also added a little somethin' somethin' to the soup - turkey ham.  I wanted something to make it a little heartier and give us something to munch on and the bites of ham were exactly what I was looking for.  So good.

As with most soups, it was good that night (I made it during the day).  However, it was AMAZING as leftovers - after the flavors had really blended together.  So, I would encourage you to either make it ahead of time and let it sit a couple of days in your refrigerator before eating it... OR... make sure you leave enough to try the leftovers.  It'll do you good.

Here's the link to the recipe I found, but I'll also include the recipe below.

http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2012/12/recipe-for-butternut-squash-peanut-and-chipotle-soup-.html

Chipotle Butternut Soup
2 tsp. olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1-1/4 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, diced (plus, 1-2 tsp. adobo sauce)
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 tsp. cumin
2 T. peanut butter
3 c. chicken stock
1 T. honey
black pepper to taste
A good amount of turkey ham

1. In a pot, heat the oil and add the onion.  Saute until the onion is soft and just beginning to brown. 
2. Stir in the butternut squash and cook until it begins to brown.  (You want it to brown because that adds to the flavor of the soup) 
3. Stir in the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, garlic, and cumin.  Next, add the peanut butter.  Stir everything together and cook until the peanut butter begins to melt. 
4. Pour in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.  Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to low (so the mixture will simmer), cover the pot, and cook for 25 minutes.  The squash should be very soft after this.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the soup to cool.  While the soup is cooling, dice the turkey ham and add it to a pan (with a bit of oil).  Saute the turkey ham until it has a nice, brownish color.  Set aside.
6. After it's cooled, transfer the mixture to a blender (in batches) and puree.  When all the soup has been pureed, return the pot to the stove and heat it up.
7. Add the honey and pepper to taste.  Add the turkey ham.

Voila!