Twelve Months of Monastery Soups

by Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette

"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.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Drink, Christianity

198 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

We picked this up after celebrating Good Friday mass at this monks monastery back when we went to Bard. In '99 he was the only monk left, so th monastery was, by default, a hermitage, and I think the only reson the church let him stay was that he pretty much pays for his keep with a line of cookbooks. This book is fantastic - well written, simple recipies; one can never have too many soup recipies, as they make such a simple, quick meal. And its by a monk, and he's adorable, so there you are.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I've never reviewed this book. It is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Every page is stained and more than half are notated. It's my goal to make every soup in here - but I keep going back to my favorites so it's really hard to reach that goal!

Probably one of the first, if not THE first, cookbooks I ever owned and used properly as an adult. Without exaggeration I can say I have probably used it at least once a month for 20 years. There is only one soup I haven't liked and that's because it calls for vermouth and no food should have vermouth in it. This book taught me that....

It is broken down by month and while I appreciate the recommendations, I have found it quite fluid.

I credit this book with my on-the-fly-barely-any-ingredients soup making ability. I can't imagine my kitchen without it.

Highest recommendations: St. Scholastica Soup; Escarole Soup (perfect measurements)
Cautions: D'Avila - Latourrette's recipes make A LOT of soup - halve them for a small family.
Not entirely vegetarian, not vegan. I have eliminated meat in nearly all the recipes I've made at one time or another with no negative consequences. I have not worked to make them vegan. There are a lot of milk and eggs but I still think the majority could be made vegan lickety-split.

[Karen Witzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to cook them all - from cover to cover. Except the ones with beer - I hate beer.

Difficult to describe, but this book of seasonally arranged recipes for soup with the occasional quote from a saint, medievalish marginalia, and monastic themed recipe titles has a soothing effect just upon reading; before the cooking ever begins. It has a sense of place and time that has somehow been captured in the pages.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I seldom follow recipes for soup, this cookbook's illustrations, poetry, and quotes are as deeply satisfying as the food it contains. I wish I could follow the Brother around in his garden and sit at his table.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soup recipes are an obsession of mine. This is my favorite soup cookbook. Reread.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this gentle book. The soups are all arranged by month and center around in-season produce for their particular time of year. Really lovely. Tomorrow, I'm making a September soup - a simmmering batch of Tomato Florentine.

[RinTinTin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve made several of these soups - all have been delicious and generally they are easy to make with ingredients I either have on hand or are easy to acquire.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first found out about this book from Chris, and I am so grateful. We make soup out of this book at least twice a month, and I have recommended it to lots of friends. Some of the recipes are a bit too big for 2 people, but can be easily halved. You will probably have to add extra spices to some recipes, since they can be a bit bland.

[Heather Nandell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this cookbook. I use it throughout the entire year. I have recommended it to many friends, but I won't loan out my copy, SO DON'T ASK!!

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you ever open a cookbook and get overwhelmed by all of the options? I love how this cookbook is divided into the 12 months. It really cuts down what you should be looking at, based on the time of year, weather, and produce that historically would have been available. I've been cooking soups out of it for the last 3-4 months, and there's some real winners in here. Some are pretty different; not a soup you've probably ever heard of before. The majority of soups in here are vegetarian or vegetarian-optional. <3

[John Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I got this book for free from a used bookstore where I sometimes work when they sometimes pay me. It's a good book if you like soup. If you don't like soup, and some people out there don't, and that's...fine, you frakking Cylon...but you know someone who does like soup because they are normal, and they happen to like to cook soup as well, this might be a good book to get them...because it is full of soups you can make for yourself or for your refectory (however, if you happen to run a refectory, then your order should probably just give this book to you, because it basically tells you how to feed all the presumably habited diners looking for victuals every night)...

Worth buying at a discounted price. Try not to pay full prices for cookbooks, though, because you will inevitably get food on them, and then be bummed out about shelling out thirty bucks for a series of recipes that, if you looked hard enough, you could probably find online for free anyway.

That being said, I'm getting this (used, because I'm also a tad impoverished) for one or two cooks I know who happen to a) love soup and b) not own this.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The woodcuts and quotes and tidbits about food are very interesting. I may just sit back and read through them all. So far the recipes I've tried in this book are hit and miss. Black-Eyed Pea Soup was very good, though next time I make it I will try a little less lemon, maybe 5 instead of 6 tablespoons. Veloute a la Dubarry was ok, but I probably won't make it again as I have better cauliflower soup recipes. Fava Bean Soup also I won't make again, it just didn't have enough flavor. That said, there are a lot more interesting soups here, and I will continue trying them.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love soup! Eating soup makes me feel warm and cozy but making it gives me the outlet to create something homemade and delicious. So when I found this book on clearance at my parents' local Half Price Books for 3 dollars, I plucked it off the shelf to bring home with me.

I haven't decided which recipe I'll cook first but reading through this book gave me some great ideas!!

#redding21 #150books #bookchallenge21 #booksof21

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on a library loan. One of my new year's resolutions is to add more vegetables into my diet and I thought vegetable soups would be a good way to do that. This out of print book has beautiful illustrations and wonderful recipes, all with an informative and interesting description. I liked it so much I found a copy on a used book web site. The goal is to work through the year sampling new recipes.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The notes were interesting, but there wasn't one picture of a soup. In addition, nearly every soup calls for eggs and bouillon cubes. The author mentions in the preface that stock can be substituted for bouillon and that the number of eggs can be reduced, but I have never seen so many soup recipes with eggs!

[Rogue Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Soups organized by months but really not seasonal as presumed. Way more veloutes than expected perhaps because eggs are readily available in the monastery kitchen and add calories. Largely vegetarian, but recipe choices could use more diversity. Interesting side notes.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another set of books found by accident at a local library. I bought what I could find online for my husband for Christmas. He has been cooking often from several of the books and writing down when he wants to try other recipies. These have become his all time favorite cookbooks and writings.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simplicity and superior taste! This book is a major part of my quest to make and eat more soup. So far, we have loved every recipe I've tried.

[Amy Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best cookbook and reference for nourishing, simple Lenten suppers.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good recipes. I love the beer soup.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anyone needs a really gentle book about making soup authored by some monks, I got you.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent soup cookbook. I've made three so far and they've all be delicious. Easy to follow recipes with readily available ingredients. Most are vegetarian, but you could add meat if you wanted to.

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of many of the recipes in this book, but the author is clear in the introduction that he has simplified many of the recipes to make them accessible to every home cook and less intimidating. Which is nice, I guess, except if you're a more experienced cook, you might find the lack of specificity in the ingredients and lack of technique in the directions frustrating. You might also realize that those issues mean that any given recipe is not going to be repeatable across time or across multiple cooks, which is also frustrating in its own special way. I still found many of the recipes inspiring even if I'm not actually going to cook from the recipe as given.

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

The soup recipes in this book are exactly the kinds I would expect to eat in a monastery. They are simple and mostly vegetable. These recipes rely on meat broths, both beef and chicken, which I think is a good thing. There are 10-15 soups given for each month. That makes for a year of good eating! These soups are not cook-all-day affairs, nor are they rich.

The book features one recipe on each page. Most pages include a woodcut which is lovely, and often there is an explanation of the soup or a tidbit about a saint. Not being Catholic, I found this informative. There are no photos. I didn't feel photos were necessary. This book makes me want to move into a monastery and cook soup.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple but good soups. Easy to make and easy to eat. The chapters are broken up by the months of the year so that no matter what the season, you can always find a soup to make! I will say that some of the soups need more herbs and spices, as they can be bland. But my husband and I have no problem experimenting off the main recipe.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It has been wonderful for discovery of what are now family favorites. Simply and charmingly compiled, with a great index by ingredients and an overall structure according to soups appropriate for each month of the year (hot & spicy for winter, rich and filling in autumn, lighter in summer).

[Lee (of Shalott) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice addition to the soup cookshelf! Take your pick from more than twelve soups every month. Most are vegetarian (or adaptable), several are vegan, and many are easily made gluten-free. I seldom can ever resist tweaking recipes so I have added a few extra herbs or spices to the basic recipes & have always been happy with the results. This is a good cookbook for the beginner.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook has recipes anyone could prepare and every recipe sounds so good. I like that the recipes are divided by each month of the year to maximize on what is available at the grocery store or in your garden.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I know where the term "soup kitchen" originated from. Great illustrations…not of food but of old monastic life. Good recipes too…doesn't "Tomato Soup Florentine Style" sound good? I'll be making it.

[Stefania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love soup and this is a good book.