How to Make Roulades of Meat

From Martino's Art of Cooking, p.55 in the 2005 Jeremy Parzen translation:

First, take some lean meat from the haunch and cut it into long slices and beat it on a cutting board or table using the knife handle, and take some salt and ground fennel seeds and spread over the cutlets. Then take some parsley, marjoram, and good lard, and chop together with some good spices and spread this mixture over the cutlets. Roll them and cook them on a spit, but do not let them get too dry over the flame.

My Redaction:

3.75 lbs. beef top round, or meat of choice
2 T fennel seeds, ground
2 T coarse salt
2 T finely chopped marjoram
2 T finely chopped parsley
2 T lard
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander

Trim excess fat from meat, and slice lengthwise making strips approximately 1/2" thick (by 1-1/2" wide depending on the thickness of your steak). Cover a surface in plastic wrap, lay the slices out on it, and beat them to about half their original thickness using a mallet or whatever's handy. Mix the salt and fennel and sprinkle if liberally on the strips. Cut the remaining herbs and spices into the lard and pound it into a paste, then spread lightly on the strips.

Roll each strip tightly, place them into a roasting pan and broil on low heat for ten minutes, or until they are as well done as you like. Makes about 20 roulades.

Remarks:

I tried using my knife handle for beating the steak, but it was a mediocre tool for the job; perhaps Martino's knives were of different construction. I used an empty wine bottle, but a meat mallet should work fine.

Martino's directions are for roulades of "veal and other good meat" - the good meat I have chosen colored my choice of spices. If you use a different meat you might replace the coriander in particular.