I got home later than I had hoped, but still had time to get these pretty tender. Browned, then simmered in wine, tomato paste, soy sauce, onion, dried porcini, and chard stems, served on barley with the strained and reduced cooking liquid and red cabbage braised in more wine and soy, they found a special place between beef-barley soup and corned beef & cabbage. We tried two different 97 Bordeaux: a Pavillon Rouge de Margaux and a Talbot. We both agreed that the Margaux was better; I think the second wines are the best deals in Bordeaux, especially from an underrated year. But the next day the Talbot was the clear winner- still elegant and pretty rich while the Margaux was flat. It’s always so much more fun to compare two than to have just one.
