6 onions
2 carrots
2 leeks
Several stalks of celery or 1/2 celeriac
2 tbsp. oil
4 lbs. lean stewing beef
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
6 peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 slices light rye bread
Peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. sugar

Peel and slice the onions. Chop the carrots, celery, and leeks. Brown the meat well in the oil and remove from the pan.

In the same pan, saute the vegetables, about 10 minutes, and add the meat again along with 1 cup very hot water. Add all the herbs and spices. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes.

To make sauce/gravy: Drain the liquid from the stew. Crumble the rye bread, and add this and grated lemon peel to the liquid. Bring to a boil. Add lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir the meat into the sauce and heat. Serve with green beans and boiled potatoes.

This recipe originated in Germany. Pfefferpotthast is an old Westphalian dish. It's name gives away it's method of preparation. "Pepper" was a generalized term used to describe all the herbs and spices in the stew. The "hast" comes from the fact that the meat was first browned in a frying pan or (ha(r) st), and the "pott" from the fact that it needed to be made in a pot until done.