Divine delights await at monastery vinegar fest

(Vinegars can be flavored with a variety of herbs, spices and fruits/Gannett News Service photo)

There are many food festivals in the Hudson Valley that feature the bounty of the various seasons, but there is one this weekend that is of a heavenly nature.

The annual Vinegar Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery on Barmore Road in LaGrangeville.

Handcrafted by the monks who reside there, the vinegars are made using herbs from the monastery gardens.
There you will find divine combinations such as Rose Wine Vinegar, Apricot-Scented Vinegar, Pure Apple Cider Vinegar along with red and white wine vinegars.


Other products made from the monastery farm will also be available, such as tapenades, pesto sauces, chutneys, tomato sauces, salsas, jams, relishes and dried culinary herbs.
The products are made in small batches using fresh ingredients from the garden to the kitchen.

I have always been a proponent of "peasant" fare, which by definition, is simply using fresh ingredients that have not been altered or processed, and paying attention to the seasons and what's available.
This is certainly one festival where you can feel good knowing where the products come from and how they are used — a bit of divine intervention, if you will.

Perennials and herb plants from the gardens there will be potted and sold as well (pictured in photo, above).

(Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette samples a soup made with a recipe from his cookbook, "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups."/Jim McKnight AP photo)

Behind most of this culinary magic is a humble soul, Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, who is a resident monk and cook at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery.


He has penned a number of cookbooks that emphasize the simplicity of fresh ingredients in recipes that use vegetables and herbs from the garden.

The books will be sold at the festival as well, and it looks like there will be food products from other monasteries and original artwork by local artists, painters and friends of the monastery.


This sounds like a great opportunity to buy handcrafted vinegars for the home and to give as gifts.

For more information about the festival, which will be held both days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the monastery, off Route 82 and five miles south of Millbrook, call 845-677-9361.


(Brother Victor feeds a newborn lamb in a barn where the sheep are sheltered from early spring cold at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery, in LaGrangeville, March 27, 2001; Jim McKnight/AP photo)


Vinegar is a staple of the kitchen, but it has also been touted for centuries as a folk remedy that can ease a number of ailments. (Check the Journal's Healthy Living section Sunday for a story on the health benefits of vinegar).

In January, a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology recommended that an anti-inflammatory diet including vinegar “should be considered for the primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease and diabetes.” These findings don’t surprise or concern those who have practiced and preached the virtues of ACV — as those in the know refer to apple cider vinegar — for decades.

A daily tonic made of 1 tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon of honey and 8 ounces of warm water is believed to support good health and vitality.

(A variety of vinegars are made at the monastery and will be sold this weekend)

That said, I am going to give that tonic a try. I've always favored the flavor of vinegar, and often use a heavy hand with it when I make my salad dressings.

Brother Victor, who hails from the southwest of France, makes use of these lovely vinegars, herbs and vegetables in his recipes, which are mainly vegetarian with a French flair.

I have been enjoying his "Simplicity from a Monastery Kitchen" for years. I use the recipes according to what's growing in my garden, and am always impressed with the big flavor you can get from such simple ingredients.

I pulled out my copy this week as I thought about the upcoming vinegar festival.

Here's a recipe I will be making this weekend using the bounty of zucchini I harvested this week.

And I hope to make it to the Vinegar Festival to buy some vinegar just for the occasion.



Source: "Simplicity from a Monastery Kitchen" by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette (Broadway Books/Random House, 2001)

Zucchini Salad Basque Style

Makes 6-8 servings

1. 3 medium zucchini, cubed
2. 4 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3. 1 large sweet red pepper, cubed
4. 1 red onion, chopped
5. 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6. 3 tablespoons wine vinegar
7. salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8. Finely chopped fresh parsley, as garnish

• Wash the zucchini well and slice into even cubes. Place the zucchini in a large saucepan, add sufficient water and bring it to a boil. Boil for about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse the zucchini under cold water. Set the zucchini aside.
• Placed the chopped tomatoes, cubed pepper and chopped onion in a salad bowl. Add the zucchini.
• Prepare a vinaigrette by mixing well the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss them gently until they are well coated. Sprinkle the finely chopped parsley on the top and serve.