BEEF FILET

brown it, pop it in the oven and let it rest for the requisite 10 minutes.

Whip up the sauce while the roast is resting. You will look like a culinary genius as you plate up a singularly elegant and festive holiday meal. filet at a time, place the filet on a cutting board with one of the short ends facing you. Start cutting the roast along the left long side about of the way down from the top of the filet, almost cutting through to the other side but stopping about ½ inch shy.

Flip the roast over so that the cut side is now on the right. Repeat the procedure on the left side again, slicing about of the way down from the top of the filet, cutting to within ½ inch of the other side. Open up the two flaps that you have just cut in the filet so it is the shape of a rectangle. Pound the meat, sprinkled with water, between two sheets of plastic wrap until it is about ¼-inch-thick all over.

Arrange half the prosciutto over the inside of each roast, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. Spread half of the pesto on top of the prosciutto and arrange the red pepper strips down the middle. Starting with the long end, roll up the beef to form a cylinder and tie it with twine at 1-inch lengths. Season all over with salt and pepper.

In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat, add the meat and brown it on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the middle shelf of the oven and roast the filets for 10 minutes for medium-rare meat. Transfer the roasts to a plate, cover them loosely with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, add the wine to the skillet and deglaze the pan over medium-high heat, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom. Add the chicken broth and any juices from the resting meat and simmer for 3 minutes.

To serve: Remove the strings, slice the meat and arrange it on four plates. Spoon some of the pan juices over each portion.

402 calories, 42 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar, 22 g fat (5 g saturated), 122 mg cholesterol, 976 mg sodium