the once and future soup

What was lost is found. The cold mango soup recipe has mysteriously appeared again.

It has a great mix of flavors. For those of you in Mexico, the ingredients are fresh and at hand. For those of us up north, all of the "fresh" ingredients may require an equivalent of "canned" fruits. But the recipe will work. (The mangoes at my local grocer are hard enough to serve as bocce balls.)

Chilled mango soup

2 large ripe mangoes
1 jalapeño pepper
1/2 pineapple sliced in chunks
2 cups mango juice
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (red and/or white peppercorns)

Peel and pit mangoes. Roughly chop mango flesh. Roughly chop jalapeño. (Discard seeds and pulp for milder soup. Include seeds and pulp for a more picante version.) Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until mixture is as smooth as possible. Press mixture through sieve, and chill in refrigerator at least for 2 hours. Serve with any complementary garnish -- mint, berries, fruit sorbet.

This soup has been a hit at my home dinner parties. I would not advise serving it at potluck functions where the diners may be put off by soup that is (1) cold, (2) made out of fruit, and (3) sometimes spicy enough to generate hallucinations of Carlos Castaneda.

If you try it, let me know.