Sauerbraten with Vegetables and Spaetzle

For the sauerbraten: Peel the onion and soup vegetables and cut into 1 cm  (approximately 3/8-inch) cubes. Place the meat and vegetables in a non-corrosive sealable container. Peel the garlic and add to the container along with the spices. Add the wine and vinegar, stir to combine and seal. Refrigerate 3 days, turning the meat in the liquid twice a day. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven. Lift the meat from the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid, pat dry roll in flour to coat. Saute until  browned all over. Lift the vegetables from the soaking liquid and saute briefly.

Pour a little of the soaking liquid and the broth into the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more broth if the pan is getting dry and cook until the meat is tender, 1 1/2 -2 1/2 hours. For the vegetables: Meanwhile, peel the carrots and rinse the scallions, shake dry and cut crosswise into thirds. Blanch the carrots in a pot of boiling salted water 3-5 minutes and the scallions about 2 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and drain again. For the spaetzle: In a bowl, mix the flour with the eggs and 200 ml (approximately 7 ounces) of water and season with salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.

For the sauce:Heat the clarified butter in a pan. Add the sugar and cook until golden brown. Stir in the flour and cook until the roux is golden brown. Pour the cooking liquid from the beef into the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes. If desired, strain the sauce. Return the sauce to the pan, add raisins, bring to a boil again and if desired, stir in a little cornstarch dissolved in cold water and cook, stirring constantly until lightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape the spätzle mixture through a spaetzle maker into a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until the dumplings rise to the top, 2-3 minutes.