1
["Wipe steak with damp cloth; season with salt and pepper.", "Place in earthenware, glass or enamel bowl.", "Combine onions, carrot, celery, cloves, peppercorns, vinegar and bay leaves and pour over meat.", "Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 4 days.", "Boil the potatoes for the dumplings on the night of the 4 day. Leave them in their jackets and let stand for a few hours to overnight.", "On fifth day remove meat from refrigerator and drain, reserving marinade.", "Saute meat in bacon drippings plus 1 tablespoon butter until seared on all sides.", "Cover with reserved marinade and bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 3 hours.", "Melt remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in a pan and stir in flour to form a roux.", "Blend in sugar and brown to a nice dark color.", "Stir roux into liquid in the pot and add raisins (optional).", "Cover and continue to simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour longer.", "DUMPLINGS:", "Peel the potatoes and mash them. Add the eggs and flour.", "Form the mixture into little balls and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before cooking.", "Bring lightly salted water to just under boiling point.", "To make sure your mixture has the right consistency, cook a single dumpling first. If it does not hold together, add more flour to the mixture.", "Gently drop in a few dumplings, being careful not to overcrowd them.", "When the dumplings are cooked, they will rise to the top.", "Remove the meat to a warm serving platter.", "Stir crushed gingersnaps or starch into the pot juices and cook until thickened.", "Pour over the meat and serve with the dumplings and applesauce.", "Provide melted, browned butter and bread crumbs for the dumplings.", "Red cabbage makes another good accompaniment. A good one is Sweet and Sour and the brand that comes to mind is ""Aunt Nellie's"". It would probably be the easiest to find in the US. I always get mine at our local Walmart Supercenter."]
