Burgundy Beans

Here's one from Connie in Idaho. Here's her background on it:

Well, this recipe comes out of a cookbook called America Cooks that friends of ours owned in upstate New York. When we arrived in Idaho, I tried to purchase the book and was unable to find it anywhere (those were the days before the "Internet"). Finally, with the help of our local library, they found a place in Canada that I was able to purchase the book from. It has a lot of wonderful recipes, but for beans, this is my favorite.

It's a baked bean, but it definitely has a different flavor to it than your traditional baked beans. I put on a large graduation party last summer and served these beans and so if you're serving them for a large crowd, I would definitely double or triple the recipe.

2 cups small red beans
1 large onion, minced
1 cup chopped bacon
1 cup burgundy wine
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf, crumbled
Pinch of thyme
3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1. Day before, wash beans. Put in Dutch oven or heavy kettle with tight-fitting lid; cover generously with water. Soak overnight (or you can boil your beans for 2 minutes and let sit for one hour).

2. Next day, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

3. Drain beans; add remaining ingredients. Add water to cover ingredients by 2 inches.

4. Cover; bake in preheated oven for 6 to 7 hours, at least, adding water, if necessary, to keep beans moist.