Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix from the butcher's counter (meatloaf mix)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small white onion, grated
2 tablespoons golden or dark raisins, chopped
3 tablespoons pine nuts, chopped
3 tablespoons grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 cup arugula leaves or baby spinach
6 slices prosciutto di Parma
6 slices deli sliced provolone
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1/2 pound cavatappi (corkscrew shaped hollow pasta) or rigatoni
1 pound broccolini, trimmed into florets
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
12 grape or small vine tomatoes, halved
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Put water on to boil for your pasta. Mix meat and next 10 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6-8 inches wide. Cover meat with arugula or spinach, prosciutto and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log, , working across the 6 to 8-inch side, resulting in a 12-inch long log. Drizzle the log with EVOO to coat lightly. Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices, 3 pieces per portion, and serve. Make pasta while meat is in the oven. Salt water and cook off pasta, about 7-8 minutes to al dente, with a bite to it. Drain and return pasta to hot pot. While pasta cooks, place broccolini in 1-inch of water in a sauce pot and bring up to a boil. Add salt to the water and add the trimmed broccolini. Cover and cook 5 minutes, drain and reserve. To hot, cooked pasta add a drizzle of EVOO, butter, ricotta, lemon zest, thyme, broccolini and season with salt and pepper. Toss pasta to coat it in the cheese and butter. Season it with salt, to your taste. Portion pasta onto dinner plates alongside meat roll slices and top pasta with tomatoes and freshly ground pepper.