Beans Beans are my passion. One of my biggest joys last fall was picking, drying and shucking our cache of heirloom beans grown in RSV’s Capa Vineyard and at the winery. The harvest was good to us and our final haul was around 40 pounds of shiny, fat, deep-red, white and speckled beans. Beans are one the biggest stars of winter cooking at the winery. As flavor magnets, they absorb the juices and the nuances of vegetables, herbs and meats added during cooking. They are an essential ingredient in traditional cooking across many cultures. In France, cassoulet was made in the dark of winter from dried beans and dried or cured meats. The beans took up the majority of the cooking vessel to which a piece of sausage, a bit of cured duck leg and perhaps a straggling root vegetable was added for flavor. The dish needed to be hearty to sustain the hardworking people like farmers and other labor intensive workers. The animal fats used to cook the beans added the calories needed to fuel the toil of hard work in cold temperatures. This version of cassoulet turns to the nuance of sweet and earthy root vegetables for flavor. Duck fat can be used to make the cassoulet denser and mouth-filling but, if you’d like to lighten it up, extra virgin olive oil adds a nice richness without the heaviness of animal fat. POV has a nice core of acidity running through its beautiful cherry fruit and enlivening texture. It’s the perfect foil to this hearty cassoulet. POV is perfect to drink now or hold for a cooler day that begs for cassoulet. Until the Next Wine... Maria
EAT: Root Vegetable Cassoulet
