Kenefick Ranch Irish Beef Stew

One of our favorite pairings with St. Patrick’s Day celebration food is the Cabernet Sauvignon, Chris’s Cuvée, with Irish Beef Stew. Our cabernet sauvignon really pairs beautifully with the flavors of beef, spices and hearty vegetables. In fact, we also use the cabernet in the recipe.

Save prep time by prepping the onions, carrots, and potatoes while the stock with beef is simmering in step 2.

• Prep time: 25 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
• Feeds 4 to 6 of your favorite people

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¼ pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (lean stew meat will end up too dry)
• 3 teaspoons of salt 
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups beef stock or broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup of Kenefick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Chris’s Cuvee
• 1 cup of Guinness extra stout or favorite Extra Stout beer
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 ½ to 2 cups)
• 2 cups ½-inch pieces peeled carrots and/or parsnips (3 to 4 carrots or parsnips)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the beef pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large, (6 to 8 quart), thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
   
   Pat dry the beef with paper towels and working in batches, add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook, without stirring, until well browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over and brown on another side.
    
2.  Add garlic to the pot with the beef and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the beef stock, water, Kenefick Cabernet Sauvignon, Guinness, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
   
   Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, then cover and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
    
3. While the pot of meat and stock is simmering, melt the butter in another pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Sauté the onions and carrots until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step 2 has simmered for one hour.
    
4.  Add the onions, carrots, and the potatoes to the beef stew. Add black pepper and two teaspoons of salt. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off any excess fat.

Transfer stew to serving bowls. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve along with a glass of Kenefick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Chris's Cuvee.

-lovingly adapted to Kenefick taste from Simply Recipes

What is Happening in the Vineyard?

Happy New Year!   

We are looking forward to what 2018 will bring and are pleased to say goodbye to 2017.   While the 2017 harvest was smooth and steady, the year ended with the scary and in some cases, tragedy, caused by the multiple wildfires in October.   Calistoga and the entire Napa Valley has been recovering and are ready for your visit.

Now on to Vineyard Happenings..

This month the stellar and amazing crew have been pre-pruning the vineyards.  

Left side of image shows unpruned vines; the right side pre-pruned

Each year, the vineyard team works through the entire 125 acres of estate vineyards and starts the pruning process.   They work block by block.   The prepruning helps not only the crew to make a more precise cut with the final pruning, (by removing the extra cane), but also helps to prevent eutypa.   This is an airborne virus that attaches itself to the open cout and works into the cane of the vine.   The process of movement through the cane is slow and does not reach its ultimate target - the branch, before the final pruning.  With the final pruning, we also seal the new cut to prevent any further progress.   Another plus for breaking up the pruning process is that the final pruning sets back budbreak, which can give you about two more weeks of frost protection.   And with the weather not always being certain, this definitely helps!