Offer your guests a big bowl of warmth and comfort--stir up some homemade soup! Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, author of From a Monastery Kitchen, follows the months of the year with simple recipes using seasonal ingredients. The soup recipes are international as well--try some Polish Pearl Barley Soup in February and Traditional Austrian Cheese Soup in November. Brother Victor-Antoine recommends chilled soups in the summer for refreshment; June's creamy Chilled Carrot Soup features the zest of ginger and lemon, and the Cold Zucchini Soup in August is delightful with the recommended lemon basil. The simplicity of the recipes makes them suitable for beginning cooks, who will learn that a great variety of flavors can be produced just by changing the order in which the vegetables are sautéed or by using vegetable broth instead of beef bouillon. Twelve Months of Monastery Soups is a delicious introduction to the art of soup making. As Brother Victor-Antoine notes, "soup remains a faithful friend during all of life's occasions."


From Library Journal
Latourrette, a Benedictine monk in a monastery in upstate New York, is the author of several cookbooks, including From a Monastery Kitchen (HarperCollins, 1989), which sold more than 100,000 copies. Brother Victor grew up in France, and his background is evident in his soup recipes, which also reflect other cuisines?from Mexican to Italian to Arabic. He offers close to 180 seasonal recipes, the majority of them vegetarian, all of them simple and easy; historical woodcuts add charm to the book. [BOMC selection.]Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Midwest Book Review
A history of monastery soups blends with exciting seasonal recipes in a blend of culinary history and cookbook. Soup enthusiasts will discover many new gems amid old favorites; from Radish Greens Soup and a cheese enhanced Saint Patrick irish Cheddar Soup to Carrot-Celeriac Soup and a hearty Provencal Vegetable Soup with Pesto Sauce. Most recipes are quick and easy to reproduce and will appeal to many readers in their simplicity.


Book Description
"Of soup and love, the first is best." Brother Victor-Antoine makes a passionate case for this Spanish proverb in Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, bringing easy, delicious, soul-satisfying soup recipes from the monastery to your kitchen. From simple, clear broths to thick, hearty soups, there's a recipe to appeal to every taste. Arranged by month with an eye toward seasonal variety and at least one recipe for every vegetable native to North America, the 175 soups include classic favorites such as Cream of Corn and Tomato and more unique recipes such as Jerusalem Artichoke, Provenal Rainbow, and Danish Onion-Champagne. With inspirational quotes proclaiming the goodness of soup sprinkled throughout and beautiful period block prints, Twelve Months of Monastery Soups is a celebration of the art of soup-making.


From the Publisher
"Brother Victor-Antoine's collection of easy and earthy soup recipes are most appealing, and include excellent variety for all seasons of the year."
--Pierre Franey"Soup stands for me as one of the great treats of culinary art, and to have such recipes so happily and deliciously recorded is indeed a pleasure. . . . .A special joy to turn each page."
--Michael Lomonaco, host of TV Food Network's "Michael's Place""Wonderful, healthful, and easy recipes . . . virtually holy."
--Waldy Malouf, chef, Rainbow Room, New York City"What a favor Brother Victor-Antoine has done for the cookbook community! . . . Good reading and good cookery, all in one book."
-Marcia Adams, author of Cooking from Quilt Country"Making homemade soup doesn't have to be complicated, thanks to Brother Victor's latest literary endeavor."



From the Inside Flap
"Of soup and love, the first is best." Brother Victor-Antoine makes a passionate  case for this Spanish proverb in Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, bringing easy, delicious, soul-satisfying soup recipes from the monastery to your kitchen. From simple, clear broths to thick, hearty soups, there's a recipe to appeal to every taste. Arranged by month with an eye toward seasonal variety and at least one recipe for every vegetable native to North America, the 175 soups include classic favorites such as Cream of Corn and Tomato and more unique recipes such as Jerusalem Artichoke, Provenþal Rainbow, and Danish Onion-Champagne. With inspirational quotes proclaiming the goodness of soup sprinkled throughout and beautiful period block prints, Twelve Months of Monastery Soups is a celebration of the art of soup-making.


About the Author
Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette is resident monk at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery near Millbrook, New York, a monastery that lives under the rule of St. Benedict.  There he cooks and tends the garden that supplies both the monastery and the local farmers' market. He is the author of the bestselling From a Monastery Kitchen as well as This Good Food, Table Blessings, and A Monastic Year.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chickpea Soup Ó la Provenþale

Ingredients

2 cups dried chickpeas
1/2 cup olive oil
4 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
10 cups water
1/2 pound chopped spinach
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons herbs Provenþal (thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, bay leaf)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
fried croutons (See recipe p. 195)

6 servings

1.  Soak the chickpeas overnight.  Rinse them in cold water.

2.  Pour the oil into a soup pot, add the thinly sliced leeks, and sautÚ gently over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add the water, chickpeas, spinach, garlic, herbs, and seasonings.

3.  Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium.  Cover the pot and cook the soup slowly until the chickpeas are tender (50-60 minutes).  Simmer for 15 minutes more.

4.  When the soup is done, blend in a blender or food mill.  Pour the soup back into the pot and reheat it.  Serve the soup in hot bowls.  Add butter and a few fried croutons to the top of each serving.

Chickpeas, or pois chiches, as they are called in France, have always been a favorite in the Provenþal cuisine--or, for that matter, in the cuisine of Mediterranean Europe.  The combined flavors of the chickpeas, spinach, and leeks create a marvelous blend.  And, of course, the leguminous nature of the chickpea adds an exquisite texture to the soup.  To give a true "Provenþal" flavor to the soup, be generous in your use of Provenþal herbs and use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.


Chilled Carrot Soup

Ingredients

2 leeks, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
4 good-sized carrots, sliced
3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup half-and-half
thin slices of lemon or fresh mint leaves as garnish

4 servings

1.  Place the prepared vegetables in a soup pot, add stock and salt, and bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are well cooked.

2.  Add the ginger, lemon juice, and half-and-half.  Stir well.

3.  Blend the soup in a blender or food processor and then chill the soup for a few hours before serving.  Serve the soup in glass bowls and garnish each with a thin lemon slice or with fresh mint leaves.


Garbure BÚarnaise (BÚarn Country Soup)

Ingredients

1 pound navy beans
4 quarts water
2 leeks, cut julienne style
2 turnips, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
1 small cabbage, coarsely chopped
20 green beans
6 potatoes, peeled and left whole
bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, and 4 sprigs parsley, tied together and removed before serving)
6 sweet Italian sausages
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 pound salt pork (bacon fat)
salt and pepper to taste

4-6 servings

1.  Soak the navy beans overnight or at least for several hours.  Drain and rinse them.  Wash and prepare the vegetables.  Pour water into a large soup pot and add all the vegetables except the potatoes, bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley tied together), and garlic.  Cover the pot and cook the soup slowly over low-medium heat for about 1 l/2 hours.  Add more water as necessary.

2.  Add the whole potatoes, herbs, sausages, garlic and bacon fat and continue cooking slowly for another hour and 15 minutes.  At this point, taste the seasonings and add salt and pepper.  (It may need very little salt because of the salt pork).  Take out the whole potatoes, sausage, and pork and keep them in a warm place.  Simmer the soup for 15 minutes, remove the bouquet garni, and then serve it hot, accompanied by slices of French bread.

3.  After the soup, serve the potatoes and the sausages on a separate plate (1 for each person), accompanied by a fresh green salad and more slices of French bread (you may pour some vinaigrette over the potatoes).

Garbure should be served at the table steaming hot, and it should be accompanied by plenty of French bread and red wine.



    

FROM THE PUBLISHER