I can be very forgetful, its something I worry about occasionally but then I remember that I’ve been the same way for many years so I hope its more the sign of a busy brain rather than a declining one. Occasionally my forgetfulness can be a good thing, like when I made this soup. I wanted to make a butternut squash soup that was not as sweet as they often are so I decided to include chipotle powder to mine to add a hot smokiness. I went on to get the ingredients together and chopped my vegetables, including a red chili pepper. When preparing the soup as soon as I stirred the chipotle powder in, it occurred to me that I already had a chili pepper in the pan! When chopping that red chilli I had forgotten I was adding the chipotle despite the chipotle been the main reason I was making the soup! I stood staring at the pan but it was too late to do anything other than cross my fingers and hope my tongue would survive!

This is a hot soup,  but I loved it! The smoky chipotle compliments the sweet butternut really well. If you don’t like food so hot, I wouldn’t add that extra chili pepper, just stick with the chipotle. However if you don’t mind some heat go for both! I found the soup somehow less hot the next day.

Butternut and Chili soup

ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, de seeded and cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 red chili
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 500 ml stock, vegetable or chicken

method

1. Put the chunks of butternut into a roasting tray and pour over 1 tbsp of the olive oil, stir so all the butternut gets coated in the oil. sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in a preheated oven 200 C, 400 F, Gas 6 for around 40 minutes until the butternut is soft and the edged starting to brown.
2. Heat the other tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, celery and chili pepper  over a medium heat until the onion is translucent and beginning to soften.
3. Add the chipotle powder to the onion mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add the stock, mix well and simmer for 15 minutes until the celery is softened.
5. Add the roasted butternut squash to the pan
6. Pour the mix into a blender and blend until smooth.
7. Add salt to taste and more stock if you like the soup more runny.