Butternut Squash Soup:
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 onions, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 carrot, diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 small butternut squash, diced (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
salt to taste
Black Bean Soup:
1 dried chipotle chile, stemmed
3 cups drained canned black beans, well rinsed
1 cup water, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/4 teaspoon chopped dried epazote (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt to taste
Preparation
Make the butternut squash soup:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and carrot. Cook until the onions are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the squash and enough water to cover the vegetables by about 3 inches. Simmer, uncovered, until the squash and carrots are fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the honey,cinnamon and allspice and simmer 2 minutes longer. Remove the soup from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Purée the soup in a blender until smooth. (Thin the soup with a little water if necessary.) Pour the soup back into saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat to low and keep the soup hot until ready to serve.
Make the black bean soup:
Grind the chipotle chile into a powder in a spice grinder. Purée the ground chipotle, beans, water, oregano, epazote and cumin in a blender until smooth. Thin the soup with a little additional water if necessary. Bring the soup to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Season to taste with the salt. Reduce the heat to low and keep the soup hot until ready to serve.
To serve the soup, simultaneously ladle equal amounts of the soups side by side into heated soup bowls. Swirl the two soups together with a toothpick. Serve immediately.
