Good Food Made Easier: Beautiful Soup

On a cold, dreary winter day there are few things more welcome than a bowl of hot soup.  Twelve Months of Monastery Soups is a collection of recipes, arranged by month, that are clear, uncomplicated, and made with everyday ingredients.  Even though most of the soups are simple to make, the flavors are often rich and savory.  One of my favorites is Spicy Carrot and Orange Soup, which includes leeks, nutmeg, paprika, cayenne, and ginger.  Red Bean and Rice Soup is good fall and winter fare, as is Butternut Squash Soup, Portuguese Style.

The author of the book, Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila LaTourrette is originally from the French Pyrenees and has spent time in Italy and Spain.  The recipes evoke the flavors of the south of France and the Mediterranean; tomatoes, onions, beans, and green vegetables appear frequently as ingredients.  The book is illustrated with small woodcuts of religious subjects accompanied by short texts, mostly about food or about saints.