Spinach Stuffed Braciole in a Sunday Sauce

• 1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 6 sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of cremini mushrooms
• 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 tomatoes
• A generous handful fresh sweet basil leaves, torn or shredded
• A small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the braciole: 

1. Defrost, drain, and wring the frozen organic spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel and separate with your fingertips while adding to a mixing bowl.
2. Season the spinach with salt, and black pepper. 
3. Soak the porcini mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in 3/4 cup of boiling water
4. After 10 minutes remove mushrooms and tomatoes from water, reserve liquid
5. Add the mushroom and tomatoes to the spinach. 
6. Season the meat with salt and pepper and arrange each steak with one of the narrow ends near you.
7. Divide the filling evenly among the meat slices. 
8. Scatter the filling over the meat leaving a 1/2-inch edge or border on the sides. 
9. Fold the edge over the filling and tuck in the edges as you roll each bundle to secure the filling. 
10. Wrap and roll the remaining bundles and secure with kitchen twine to cover the ends and middle, like wrapping a package.
11. Heat a large Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil a couple of turns of the pan over medium-high heat. 
12. Brown the meat bundles 6 to 8 minutes to evenly caramelize the meat all over.

 For the sauce:

1. Remove the bundles from the pan and add 1 tablespoon more olive oil, give a turn of the pan to coat. 
2. Add the chopped carrots, onions, sliced garlic, bay leaf, liquid from the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Let the vegetables cook 5 minutes to soften, then stir in the chopped rosemary and sage for 1 minute.
4. Add the tomato paste and stir to develop the fragrance, then add the white wine and scrape up the pan drippings. 
5. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes. 
6. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher. 
7. 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.

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 Parmesan.