To prepare the onions, start by halving them. Next, heat a pan without adding any fat. Place the cut surface of the onions on the pan and cook them until they turn a rich, golden brown color.
In a large pot, pour 3 liters of water. Add the vegetables, leek, onion halves, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Once the vegetables, leek, onion halves, bay leaves, and peppercorns have been added to the pot and brought to a boil, it's time to introduce the meat and bones. Place them into the pot and allow them to cook until they become tender. It's important to maintain a gentle simmer, rather than a vigorous boiling, for optimal results.
Allow the ingredients to cook for approximately 3 hours. During this time, keep an eye on the water level and add more as needed. Additionally, make sure to skim off any foam that may accumulate on the surface of the mixture.
After approximately 2 hours of cooking, season the mixture generously with salt. However, it's important to add the salt at this stage and not earlier. Once the meat has reached the desired level of tenderness, carefully remove it from the pot and keep it warm by placing it in a portion of the stock from the boiling liquid. Next, strain the remaining stock and set it aside for later use in preparing the horseradish sauce.