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1
Drain the ricotta, in cheese cloth if you have it, or in a fine-mesh strainer. Do this for at least 1 hour, so that the ricotta isn't so wet.
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2
Heat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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3
Thinly slice the spring onions, and then saute them over medium heat, with the olive oil. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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4
Wash, dry, and chop the parsley. Grate the Parmesan. Move both to a large mixing bow. Add the salt, the lemon zest, the egg, the drained ricotta, and the ground veal to the bowl. Use your hands (or a spatula) to mix everything together, until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
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5
Roll the veal mix between your palms, forming balls about the size of a golf ball. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly, about 1-inch apart. Cook for 15-17 minutes, until the insides are no longer pink. Take the meatballs out of the oven and let them rest, tented with tin foil, for about 10 minutes.
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6
Heat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of foil or parchment paper.
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7
In a large bowl, toss together the broccoli florets, the garlic cloves, the olive oil, a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, and about 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Spread the contents of the bowl across the baking sheet, and move it to the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the florets turn bright green, and are blackened in spots.
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8
When the broccoli comes out of the oven, toss in the remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, and the Parmesan cheese. Remove the garlic cloves from their shells. Move the broccoli and garlic to the bowl of a food processor, and set it aside.
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9
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10
To Finish: Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of well salted, boiling water, until al dente. Drain the pasta, but reserve 1.5 cups of the pasta water. Turn on the food processor, and add the reserved pasta water in a steady stream, until the broccoli pesto reaches desired consistency Now toss the broccoli pesto with the pasta, to coat. Divide the spaghetti between bowls; top with the veal meatballs. And a sprinkle of lemon zest, fresh Parmesan, and freshly grated black pepper, if you like.
