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Cooking With Rania: Christmas Dinner

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Rania Harris is back in the Pittsburgh Today Live kitchen as she continues to prepare for the holiday season. This week, she is cooking up two recipes perfect for a delicious Christmas dinner!

Beef Wellington

4 pound beef tenderloin, center cut, cleaned
1 pound mushrooms - minced
2 large shallots - minced
½ cup dry sherry
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Directions:

Season and sear beef tenderloin in a small amount of oil until brown all the way around - set aside to cool completely.

To make Duxelles: Sauté mushrooms and shallots in butter until dry. Add sherry, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool completely.

To assemble Wellington: Roll out 1 sheet of the puff pastry to 1/8" thick. Lightly brush with egg wash. Place beef on one end of dough. cover three sides with mushroom duxelles- being careful to make an even coating. Roll - ending with dough seam and plain side of tenderloin on bottom. Cut out decorative patterns from second piece of puff pastry - egg wash the Wellington and place decorations on top of dough. Egg wash decorations.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees - approx 35 - 40 minutes.

Rice Pilaf with Chestnuts

6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup wild rice (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2/3 cup minced celery
2/3 cup minced onion
2/3 cup coarsely chopped vacuum-packed chestnuts (about 5 ounces)
½ cup white basmati rice or long-grain white rice
1 bay leaf
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Combine 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to boil. Stir in wild rice. Reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is tender, stirring occasionally to keep rice from sticking to bottom of pan, about 1 hour. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add celery and onion. Cover skillet and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add chestnuts, basmati rice and bay leaf and sauté 1 minute. Bring broth to boil in heavy small saucepan. Stir hot broth and thyme into basmati rice mixture. Reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and cook until rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Stir wild rice and parsley into basmati rice mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves: 6

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