For the Tomato Sauce

Place a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, then the sausage and brown on all sides. Remove the sausage to a plate. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until lightly brown. Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, basil, parsley stems, salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté, stirring for 3 minutes until the paste darkens — do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Add the tomatoes, stir, then bring up to a boil. Add the cooked sausage and simmer, ½ covered, in a 350° oven for 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, thyme and sausage (reserve the sausage). Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and cool.

For the Braciola

Place a sauté pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, add the pancetta, and sauté until lightly golden, for 2 minutes. Add the onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the orange zest and stir. Strain, then press the mixture lightly with the back of a spoon to extract the oil from the mixture. Add the extracted oil back to the pan, add the bread crumbs, and sauté, stirring, until they are lightly golden. Stir in the parsley tops and remove from the heat. When the bread crumb mixture is cooled a bit, add the onion/pancetta mixture and the cheese. Add 6 ounces of the prepared tomato sauce, the salami, the sausage, the 2 egg yolks and the salt and pepper and mix together. Spread out the 2 flank steaks, season lightly with salt and pepper and divide the stuffing evenly over each flank – slightly press down on the stuffing. Roll each flank jelly-roll-style, making sure that the grain is going from end to end on the finished roll. Tie each roll with string by making a knot every ½-inch – tie securely but not so tight that stuffing squishes out. Tie knots on ends of the rolls so the stuffing will not leak out during cooking.

Finishing the Braciola

Place a pot, large enough to hold the 2 rolls of Braciola and the sauce, over medium heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, sauté the Braciola on all sides until they are lightly brown, for about 6 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce and bring up to a simmer. Then place, covered, in a 350° oven until the Braciola are fork-tender but not falling apart, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When they are tender, let the Braciola cool in the sauce, then refrigerate them until they are needed. If serving immediately, remove the rolls from the sauce to a cutting board. Slice each roll in ½- to ¾-inch pieces, place on a serving platter and with scissors, cut the string and carefully remove it from the slices so they don’t fall apart. Place 1 slice of the egg on each piece of Braciola and place the tomato sauce over all. If desired, Braciola may be served with pasta on the side.