Fresh from a Monastery Garden: An A-Z Collection of Delectable Vegetable Recipes (Hardcover)

~ Victor D'Avila-Latourrette (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gardening and cooking have been elements of monastic life since the earliest days of Christian communities. Even the author of the life of Saint Anthony (the first monk) wrote, "These vines and these little trees did he plant; the pool did he contrive, with much labor for the watering of his garden; with his rake did he break up the earth for many years." One contemporary heir to Saint Anthony is Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, whose Fresh from a Monastery Garden contains vegetarian recipes that use the fruits of his community's garden. The recipes are organized alphabetically by vegetable; each section begins with tips on raising or buying ingredients, and occasionally some note on the place of a particular dish in the life of the monastery. This is simple, hearty, sustaining food. Even when the taste is refined (in recipes for Braised Fennel, Spinach Terrine, Onion Tart, and Baked Cucumbers with Cheese, for example), the ingredients are basic, and the preparation time is short. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Library Journal

D'Avila-Latourrette's previous cookbooks, based on the food he cooks at a Benedictine monastery in upstate New York, have proved extremely popular. Like the recipes in Twelve Months of Monastery Soups (LJ 9/15/96), these reflect both his French background (some are quite rich classic dishes) and an interest in other cuisines. Most are simple, and all are vegetarian, though D'Avila-Latourrette suggests serving many of them with meat, egg, or fish dishes if desired. Although the book has its charm, vegetable cookbooks abound, and these recipes don't seem to have quite the freshness of the ones in Monastery Soups. For larger collections and those where the author's previous books have been popular.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (November 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385490399
• ISBN-13: 978-0385490399
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,343,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious recipes, easy to make!, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

The moment I saw the display in my local bookstore for this new cookbook from Brother Victor, I knew I had to have it. I first was introduced to Victor through his Twelve Months of Monastery Soups (which I also recommend) and was "converted" instantly to his tasty, (relatively) healthy, and easy style of cooking. Fresh/Monastery Garden is even better--It has beautifully designed interior and a catchy cover, but most importantly there is great variety to the recipes included. Even though its all vegetables, you'll have no problem creating full meals from just this book. Bon appetit!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Savor this book, August 30, 1999

By	G. Jurczyk "[e-mail]" (Dearborn, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Few recipes have more than 7 ingredients. Along with an appreciation for the beauty and flavor of fresh vegetables, Brother Victor-Antoine introduces you to an occasional ingredient you might never have "met" before. An example: the Blue d'Auvergne chees in Two-Cabbage Salad... a plain name for a salad that looks like a Monet painting and tastes like culinary poetry).

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming and Tasy!, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

Ive been seeing this book everywhre I go and finally had to order it. And I am so glad i did. These are woinderful, tasty, and easy to make recipies and their all vegetarian. I do wish the author had been more consistent in writing out the recipie ingredients. I did confused sometimes. But overall, I really enjoy using this.