Marinated Beef with Potato Dumplings

Salt and pepper the beef, place it in a bowl. Add vinegar, cloves, peppercorns, 2 onion heads sliced into rings, bay leaves, coarsely chopped carrots and celery. Pour in 7 cups of water, cover and refrigerate for 4 days.

Remove the beef from the bowl, leaving the vegetables and marinade. Wipe the meat with paper towels. In a pot over high heat, warm the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Brown the beef on all sides, pour in the marinade and add the vegetables. Simmer on medium heat covered for about 3 hours.

In another saucepan, heat the remaining butter over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of flour and sugar, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook until golden brown and transfer the mixture to the saucepan with the beef. Continue stewing the meat for about an hour.

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Pour 1/2 cup of flour into a shallow plate. Finely chop 1 onion. In a bowl, mix the chopped onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Peel the potatoes, grate them and drain the excess liquid.

Add the potatoes to a bowl with breadcrumbs, mix in 2 lightly beaten eggs and 1/2 cup flour. Mix thoroughly. Roll 10 balls, coat in flour, shaking off excess. Plunge into boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove the cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon, place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

Crumble the ginger biscuits. Remove the beef from the pot, add the biscuits to the gravy and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until thickened. Slice the beef into thin pieces. Arrange the meat pieces and dumplings on a plate, pour the gravy over.