It’s not every day that you hear a Benedictine monastery being mentioned on a cooking show. But in late October Saint John’s Abbey was included in an episode of “The Splendid Table,” a National Public Radio show.
The episode, which highlighted three cookbooks, included an interview with Jody Eddy, author of “Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World’s Sacred Spaces.”
Eddy featured the monastery, and specifically resident cook and baker Brother Aelred Senna, in the book, described by its publisher as a “lushly photographed cookbook showcasing the intersection of culture, spirituality, and cuisine.” It includes 100 recipes, several from the kitchens of Saint John’s.
Eddy came to Saint John’s in 2019 to interview Brother Aelred about some of the recipes he cooks for his confrères at the monastery. He also bakes breads, cookies and desserts for special events as well as wedding cakes for couples getting married in the Abbey Church.
The book was intended to be published the next year but was delayed. It was delayed so long that Brother Aelred thought it wouldn’t be printed. He was pleasantly surprised when he received an email earlier this year that it would be published in October. It came out Oct. 15.
One of the recipes featured in the book is a honey glazed turkey tinga, a recipe Brother Aelred has adapted from one that was brought to Saint John’s by a monk from Mexico. He created a tomatillo salsa recipe to go with the tinga — a spicy shredded meat (chicken can also be used) most often served in tortillas — that can also serve as a base for a hearty green chili stew. (See recipes below.)
Other recipes from Saint John’s include cheesy biscuits, skillet bratwurst and sauerkraut, sweet potato and corn chowder and more.
Brother Aelred started cooking as a child growing up in Texas. His mom worked two jobs when he was in junior high and he took care of his little sister.
“If somebody was going to make supper, it was going to be me,” he said. So, he taught himself how to cook using the Betty Crocker Cookbook and recipes from cooking magazines he found at the grocery store.
He remembers that if he had trouble with a recipe, he would call his mom at work and she would walk him through it. If she was in a meeting, the other women in the office would help him.
He kept at it and was good at it. But he never thought of being a chef or owning a bakery.
In 1986, Brother Aelred was a seminarian for the Diocese of Dallas. He was invited to go home with his best friend for Christmas break. Because the drive was long, his friend had planned to stop and stay for a few days at a Benedictine monastery that was on the way.
Before they left, he decided to do some research on the monastery.
“I got a hold of the Rule of Benedict and turns out it’s just this little slim thing,” he said. “We were seminarians for diocesan life and didn’t know that much about religious life. Well, I read the Rule and I was like, wow, I love this. This is so cool. This makes so much sense.”
After that trip and some discernment, he decided to step back from the seminary.
“The thing I liked best about my seminary experience was the fact that I lived with a hundred other guys and we worked together and we ate together and we studied together and we prayed together multiple times a day,” he said. “And that is not what the life of a diocesan priest was going to look like. And so having read the Rule, having visited this monastery and connecting those dots in my head, I thought, yeah, I need to pause.”
He left the seminary and earned his degree in classics, Latin and Greek, from the University of Dallas. He also learned Spanish and ultimately started teaching K-8 English as a Second Language. He was later hired to work in the school district central office and then for the publishing company that provided the ESL curriculum he used.
All the while, he was still cooking for family and friends.
He later became director of product management for National Geographic School Publishing and Hampton Brown.
“But around that time, the Holy Spirit decides to come snooping around and asking, ‘Whatever happened to that vocation of yours?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m busy. I’m in publishing’ … And I told the Holy Spirit she needed to go away and mind her own business.”
But that was not happening.
“I started looking around because I knew that if I was going to go back to anything, it would be to religious life,” Brother Aelred said. “And if it was to religious life, it was in fact going to be to a Benedictine community because I still had this great love for the Rule after almost 20 years. So then one thing led to another, and that’s how I got to Saint John’s.”
Brother Aelred said the Spirit was preparing him along the way with his career in education and publishing.
“And lo and behold, I would come to a place like Saint John’s in Collegeville, Minnesota, where our two primary apostolates are education through the Prep School and the University, and publishing at Liturgical Press,” he said. “So, it had all been part of the plan all along as far as I was concerned.”
And over all those years, he never stopped cooking or baking.
“I came here [in 2007], and of course I wanted to share my skills in the kitchen as well as whatever else, because I came here to be part of this community where everybody’s gifts are valued and appreciated and lifted up,” he said.
Brother Aelred currently serves as publisher of Give Us This Day at Liturgical Press. He professed solemn vows to Saint John’s Abbey in 2011.
Listen here to the Splendid Table episode mentioned above:
Easy Turkey Tinga Tacos (yields 10 to 12 small tacos)
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped*
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups shredded, roast turkey (left over from Thanksgiving)
• 12 corn tortillas
• Chopped onion
• Chopped cilantro
• Crumbled cotija or feta cheese
• Lime wedges
• Green chile sauce
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so. Add the dry spices and peppers
and continue cooking for another minute. Add tomatoes and stock, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
Pour mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and add turkey. Stir to combine and cook to heat through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and add salt, as desired.
Warm the tortillas. Fill with tinga and other desired toppings for a quick and tasty post-Thanksgiving meal.
*For a milder sauce or if you don’t have chipotle peppers on hand, make a paste of ground red chiles, such as ancho chiles or even chili powder. (Note that chili powder contains other ingredients!) About 1 T. chili powder and 2 T. water should do it but add more to suit your own taste.
Roasted Green Chile Sauce
• 8 large, green chiles, such as Anaheim chiles or poblano chiles
• 1 or 2 small hot green chiles, such as serrano or jalapeño
• 10-12 tomatillos, husks removed and fruits washed.
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
• Olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• 1-2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Roast the chiles, tomatillos, onion, and garlic: Rub chiles, tomatillos, onion slices, and garlic cloves with a small amount of olive oil. Place on a baking 
sheet and roast under broiler until skin of the chiles blisters. Turn all items over and continue roasting on all sides until skin is blistered all over. Remove from broiler and place the chiles in a small plastic bag for about 15 minutes. The skin should be easy to peel off at this point. Remove the skin, stems and seeds from the chiles and coarsely chop.
To make the sauce: Place roasted chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro in blender. Blend to a puree.
Heat about 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet. When it is hot enough to make a drop of the sauce really sizzle, add the puree to the skillet and cook about 15 minutes. Add stock and cook down to the consistency you desire. Salt and pepper to taste.
Sauce may be canned using the water bath method. Use for making stews, enchiladas, etc., or just for dipping with chips.