STEWED CANNELON OF BEEF, OR ROLLED STEAK.—Take a piece of the upper side of the round of beef, cut broad and thick. Make a veal stuffing in the following way: A cup of fine bread crumbs, a scant table-spoonful of finely chopped parsley, and a very scant tea-spoonful of thyme and marjoram mixed (if any one objects to either of these herbs, leave it out), a very little nutmeg, a half tea-spoonful of salt, and a half salt-spoonful of pepper; chop or mix all together with a good table-spoonful of butter; lay the steak on a board, and with a large knife hack it _closely_ across and across, all over on one side only, then along the centre of the hacked side lay the stuffing; roll the meat over and fasten it with toothpicks to keep it, while you envelop it in thin slices of fat pork, round which you wind twine. When neat and compact, lay it in a saucepan with a pint of water, and a piece of carrot and onion cut fine, a salt-spoonful of salt, and a tea-spoonful of vinegar. Let this _simmer_ very gently for three hours, closely covered, then take it up, lay it in a baking-pan, remove the strings and toothpicks very carefully, dredge it all over very thinly with flour, and set it in a very hot oven to brown quickly. If the saucepan was kept closely covered, and the simmering slow, there will be at least half a pint of thick, rich gravy in it; which strain, and skim free from fat (a table-spoonful of cold water thrown in will make it easier to skim). When the meat is brown, pour this gravy round it, and serve. If the gravy should have dried away too much, a little boiling water may be put into the saucepan, and well stirred, before straining,—but a _little rich_ gravy is better than much and poor. This dish Molly prepared herself, and it was a great success. Harry pronounced it better than _filet de bœuf_. “Yes, it is either a very good dish, or a wofully bad one,—hard and dry and altogether unsatisfactory.” But Molly knew it depended so entirely on great care, that the meat should be hacked thoroughly, yet not anywhere cut through, and then so very slowly simmered, so quickly browned, that she thought it one of those dishes she would always have to cook herself. She was not expecting too much from Marta. If she profited by her instructions sufficiently to know the rules of cooking, and abide by them so far that she might be trusted not to spoil a dish if left to watch it, and be able to cook _a few things well_, so that she could do when necessary unaided,—that was all Molly looked for. CHAPTER XX. PREPARING A CHICKEN—GIBLETS—SPOILT BREAD. WHILE the beefsteak, on Saturday, was being converted into such a savory dish, Molly, who wished to oversee the simmering, took that time to prepare the chicken. The one used for the pie, last Sunday, she had prepared, while Marta was busy elsewhere; this week she wanted to show her how it was to be neatly done.