Heaven with Bay Leaves and Cabernet

Living in Sonoma County is living in heaven, with the rolling hills and vast vineyards. I’m often on the road with all that amazing scenery, but even more amazing are all the private vineyard back roads I get to see working with our wineries. One that I feel particularly lucky to work with is Kunde Estate Winery in Kenwood. This is a great family owned winery; it’s huge with three separate beautiful venues. One of the things I like most is their green policies, from how they care for their vines to their business practices. During the spring and summer they do eco-hikes on the property and Stephanie asked me to create a recipe using the bay leaves that they have growing abundantly on the property. The bay leaves infuse into the nearby grapes creating another complexity in the wine which this recipe specifically pairs with.

I hope you enjoy this one too

Kunde Beef & Beans with Cabernet
Ingredients
1 lb Dried Small Red Beans
6 c Water
3 lb Beef Short Ribs
1 Large Onion - chopped
6 oz Tomato Paste
4 T Brown Sugar
2 t Salt
½ t Ginger
½ t Dijon Mustard
3 Bay Leaves

Instructions
Wash the red beans, then cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes
Set aside to cool

Cut beef into bite sized pieces (approx 1” cubes) and brown well

Add all of the remaining ingredients then bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer

Add more liquid if needed to keep covered; cook until beef is tender approx 2 hours

Serve with a hearty bread and pair with a Cabernet Sauvignon

Serves 4 to 6 as an entrée