Grandma's Rhenish Sauerbraten

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg roast beef, from the rump
• 2 large onions
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp mustard seeds
• 5 bay leaves
• 7 carnations
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables
• 700 ml red wine vinegar
• 700 ml water
• 1 cup(s) raisins
• 3 tbsp applesauce
• 3 tbsp currant jelly
• 4 gingerbread cookies (Aachen herb printen)
• pepper
• Salt
• Fat for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 3 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 3 days 2 hours 30 minutes

If you can’t buy Aachen herb printen, you can also use gingerbread, but it tastes much better with the printen. In a large pot, add the vinegar, water, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Slice the onions into rings and add them as well. Wash and chop the soup vegetables and add them to the pot. Bring everything to a boil for about 5 minutes. Then let it cool. Briefly rinse the beef with water and pat dry. Place everything in a large bowl or in the large pot and cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 3 days. After about 1 1/2 days, turn the meat over in the pot/bowl. (It’s best not to use a metal container; ceramic pots or glass bowls work best.) Remove the meat from the container. Strain the liquid through a sieve and collect the vinegar marinade (for the sauce). Discard the vegetables, etc. Now heat the fat in a large frying pan until very hot and sear the meat. When the roast has a nice brown surface, baste it frequently with the stock to create a delicious dark sauce. Now let the roast simmer slowly at a low temperature. Gradually add the redcurrant jelly, apple sauce, raisins, and finally the herb printen. If the sauce is too thin despite the printen, you can easily thicken the sauce by combining liquid cream and flour. However, this should be unnecessary if you follow the recipe. The roast should simmer for a total of 2 hours. Then slice the roast (the meat is very tender and almost falls apart) and serve it on a plate with red cabbage and dumplings and the delicious sauce. A dry red wine goes perfectly with this. Tip: Can also be served with French fries or simply on white bread. It tastes delicious too!