Bay Leaves Whole Organic

$5.00

SINGLE INGREDIENT | ORGANIC | NON-GMO | WHOLE

Bay leaf is the flavor you notice when it is missing. Drop a couple of leaves into a pot of soup, beans, or a slow braise and they work quietly in the background, giving the dish a deeper, rounder flavor that comes out best over long, gentle cooking. 

Please select a packaging option below:

What We tell customers about Bay Leaves

We don't carry the ground version. If customers ask, we tell to buy them whole because ground bay goes flat pretty fast. You also can't fish them out of dish like you can whole leaves.

We suggest storing them away from the stove heat. Try crumbling a leaf between your fingers before it goes in the pot to wake the oils up.

A little tip we love to sharing: always count your leaves going in so you can count them coming out. Nobody wants to bite into one at the table.

  • What to use it on

    Simmer a couple in the milk or cream for a bechamel or a rice pudding to give it a savory backbone.

    Add a leaf to the water when you cook rice, lentils, or grains so the whole pot picks up a little aroma.

    They also work in a pickling brine or a slow tomato sauce, anywhere the cooking runs long enough to pull the flavor out.

  • How the pros use it

    Drop two or three whole leaves into any soup, stew, or pot of beans at the start and pull them out before serving.

  • What to pair it with

    Black Peppercorns Organic
    The pepper edge in bay and the bite of fresh cracked pepper come from the same corner of the flavor world, and they build a deeper base together in any braise or stock.

    Coriander Seeds Organic
    Warm and a little citrusy, coriander rounds out bay's piney side, which is why they end up in the same pot of soup, beans, or pickling brine so often.

    Fennel Seeds Organic
    Fennel brings a sweet anise note that plays off bay's minty backbone, a natural pairing for pork, tomato sauce, and anything that simmers long and slow.

Put Bay Leaves To Work

Bay Leaves Pork Loin

Serves 6 to 8

A boneless pork loin marinated in olive oil, garlic, and crumbled bay, then roasted over onions and whole bay leaves and finished with a light white wine pan sauce.

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp EVOO
  • 4 garlic cloves, bruised and crushed with the flat side of a knife
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 16 bay leaves, 6 crumbled, plus more whole leaves for garnish
  • 6 tellicherry peppercorns, bruised
  • 1 medium onion, finely sliced
  • One 4 lb boneless pork loin, plus the bones
  • 1/2 cup your fave white wine

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl mix the olive oil, garlic, salt, peppercorns, and crumbled bay leaves and rub the mixture all over the meat. Put the pork on a large dish for 2 to 4 hours.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a roasting pan with the onion. Strew over the onion 10 whole bay leaves. Place the pork, including its marinade, on top. Roast for about 1.5 hours or to an internal temp of 155 to 160°F.
  3. Remove the pork and let it rest 20 minutes. On the stove at moderate heat, pour the wine and 1/2 cup boiling water over the bay, garlic, and onion. Let it bubble up and reduce by about a third. Strain the sauce into a saucepan. Heat, correct the seasoning, and add liquid as you like to make a good, thin, not-quite gravy.
  4. Carve the loin, put the slices on a big warmed plate, sprinkle with salt, and pour over a little of the juice-gravy. Enjoy.

Download the printable recipe card (PDF)