Shelly's Recipe

SPINACH STUFFED BRACIOLE IN A SUNDAY SAUCE WITH PAPPARDELLE

Category: Beef

Braciole
1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried currants or chopped raisins
2 to 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 (8-ounce) pieces thin-cut top round veal or beef pounded very thin

Sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large fresh bay leaf
A few sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
A few sprigs fresh sage, thinly sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock-in-a-box
1(28-ounce) large can San Marzano tomatoes
2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage or combination of both
1 (8-ounce) package pappardelle pasta or 12 ounces egg tagliatelle
1 tablespoon butter
A generous handful fresh sweet basil leaves, torn or shredded
A small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the braciole: Defrost, drain, and wring the frozen spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel and separate with your fingertips while adding to a mixing bowl. Season the spinach with salt, black pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add the chopped hard-boiled eggs, currants, pine nuts, finely chopped garlic, and cheese to the bowl and gently combine. Season the meat with salt and pepper and arrange each steak with one of the narrow ends near you. Divide the filling evenly among the meat slices. Scatter the filling over the meat leaving a 1/2-inch edge or border on the sides. Fold the edge over the filling and tuck in the edges as you roll each bundle to secure the filling. Wrap and roll the remaining bundles and secure with kitchen twine to cover the ends and middle, like wrapping a package.

Heat a large Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil a couple of turns of the pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meat bundles 6 to 8 minutes to evenly caramelize the meat all over.

For the sauce: Remove the bundles from the pan and add 1 tablespoon more olive oil, give a turn of the pan to coat. Add the chopped carrots, onions, sliced garlic, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Let the vegetables cook 5 minutes to soften, then stir in the chopped rosemary and sage for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir to develop the fragrance, then add the white wine and scrape up the pan drippings. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher. Bring the sauce to a bubble, add the meat back to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook 2 hours more, stirring occasionally.

After 2 hours, brown the sausages in a frying pan with a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan. Add the browned links to the sauce and gently submerge them, nestling them in with the meat bundles. Simmer the mixture 30 minutes more to cook the sausages through and combine their flavor into the sauce.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve a cup of starchy cooking liquid just before draining.

Remove the meat bundles to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Remove the sausages to a separate plate to cool.

Drain the pasta and return to a hot pot. Add 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces, and half of the sauce, toss to combine, adding a little starchy cooking water to make it all come together for you.

Cut the string from the meat and serve the meat dotted with more sauce and sprinkled with fresh parsley on large dinner plates with hot pappardelle pasta topped with fresh basil and some shaved Parm alongside.