Sour Beef and Dumplings

3 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

4 bay leaves

3 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons pickling spices, wrapped in cheesecloth and tied

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 gingersnaps

1 cup water

DUMPLINGS

6 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked, mashed and cooled

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup flour

Place meat in a large zip-loc bag. Add next 6 ingredients and marinate in refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, stirring every day.

Dry meat well and brown in Dutch oven with oil. Add marinating liquid and simmer until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Meanwhile, place gingersnaps in a cup of water. Let soften and mix into meat mixture just before the end of the cooking time. Cover and cook over low heat until mixture is thick. Add dumplings prior to serving.

For dumplings: When potatoes are cool, whip in egg, well beaten, and salt. Add cornstarch and flour to make a soft dough. Break off pieces of the dough and shape into balls about 1.5 inches in diameter. Drop dumplings into 2 quarts of boiling water. Do not crowd dumplings while cooking. Cook about 5 minutes or until dumplings rise to the surface of the water. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and drain over the water a few seconds. Put dumplings into sauerbraten prior to serving.