PASTA WITH BRACCIOLE (FLANK STEAK)

Steps:

• Fry ground sausage in a pan until thoroughly cooked.
• Thoroughly mix fried Italian sausage, chopped egg, Romano cheese, bread crumbs in a small bowl and season with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
• Season both sides of flank steak with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and spread sausage mixture over flank steak.
• Press mixture tightly on flank steak and roll it (like a jelly roll) and tie it securely with twine, making sure the ends are sealed.
• This is the Bracciole (pronounced Brah-chee-o'-lae).
• Brown link Italian sausage over medium heat in a large stock pot and remove.
• Brown all sides of the Bracciole in the stock pot and return sausage.
• Add tomato puree, onion garlic sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Keep heat at medium until it starts to boil and reduce heat to simmer.
• Place stock pot in 275° preheated oven for 3 hours, stirring occasionally (about every hour).
• You could also cook it on the stove at the lowest heat, but you have to stir it about every 15 minutes.
• Just before you are ready to serve, boil a large pot of salted water and cook pasta (spaghetti, linguini, rigatoni all work well) until it is al dente' (to the teeth).
• Strain pasta and put in a large bowl with a coating of the tomato sauce.
• But the remainder of the sauce in a bowl for those might who like more.
• Put Bracciole on a platter, remove string and cut Bracciole into 1" to 1 1/2" slices (as you would a loaf of bread) and serve as a side dish with the pasta.
• Serve some grated or shredded Romano cheese for those who might like a little cheese with their pasta.
• Note: Pasta has a nasty habit of cooling very rapidly, so it is best if you serve it in bowls, rather than plates, and preheat the bowls as well as the serving bowls and platter.