Designer & Founder of WHITE SUEDE & DEMKIW [ Jacqui DEMKIW ] shares some of her favourite recipes to cook during lockdown.  

"I am NOT a Chef, I am a Stylist & Creative person, 
+ I am a Single Working Mum of a just turned 11 year old, home-schooling & running my fashion business.
Slow cooking & creating meals - which we pack and share with our local "street elderly community" has been a way I have remained creative & found focus - during lockdown.  
Sharing my love of learning French cooking during lockdown with my version of :
Boeuf Bourguignon + some vegetable LOVE with Roasted Spiced Cauliflower + Molten Chocolate Brownies I make with Jett 
- HOME LOVE from my little kitchen to Yours."  

xx Jacqui Demkiw [The DEMKIW Boutique ]

 

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Let’s start with a holiday to France, I cook this and them make Pies with the leftover, if there is any.

Cooking time – 4 hours. 
Serves 6
 
1.5 kg beef blade or chuck steak
1 bottle of red wine (look for a French Red - Burgundy)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Fresh herbs – I use – lemon thyme 3 sprigs & pull of stalks, 1 sprig of rosemary left whole and I remove before serving, 1 bay leaf and I remove before serving, some parsley stalks chopped.
70g butter
1 onion, chopped (semi fine)
1 carrot, I like chunky pieces
2 tablespoons plain flour
200g bacon (can delete)
300g French shallots, peeled – or I love about 8-12 depending on size
200g small button mushrooms

"I love slow cooking and this dish, because you can make the day before and it tastes even better to allow the flavours to develop. Most of the cooking time is in the oven so it makes for a home smelling amazing whilst you work from home. Slow cooking is also forgiving, you don't need to be an expert cook, just time for it to cook."

Cut the meat small cubes & trim away the excess fat. Put the meat, wine, garlic & fresh herbs in large bowl, cover and leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours.** 
(Tip …. I prefer overnight) 

Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC.

Drain the meat, but keep your marinade aside including the herbs. After removing the meat, I use a sieve so I have my herbs ready to add later.

Dry the meat on paper towel. Heat 30g of your butter in a heavy based (Oven Proof) large casserole pot, then add your chopped onion, carrot & the fresh herbs from the marinade.   Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat.

Heat half the remaining butter in a large fry pan over a high heat. Fry the meat in batches for about 5 mins, or until the sides are well browned.** 

(Tip - I also add use some pepper actually a good amount of pepper and a small amount ground rock salt with each batch – not too much salt – you can add later if you desire).

Add the meat to the large heavy based pot with the onion & carrot and herbs.

Pour the reserved marinade into the frying pan and boil, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds to deglaze the frying pan.

Remove from the heat and add the heavy based oven casserole pot.** 
(Tip - scrape any caramelised bits they add flavour.)

Return the casserole pot to the stove heat, stirring and sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables.

Cook and stir until the meat is well coated by the flour.  Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then cover with lid and put in the oven for 3 hours or until meat is tender & almost falling apart.**
(Tip - I like to make sure my meat & vegetable have enough marinade covering them – if not I add a little Beef stock also + I make this the day before to this stage to give the flavours time to develop - then I do the next step - the mushrooms etc.) 

Heat the remaining butter in the clean frying pan & cook the bacon & the shallots (& I add some fresh lemon thyme herbs also….), stirring for about 8-10 minutes or until the shallots are softened but not brown.  Then, add the mushrooms, stir occasionally 2-3 minutes until shallots and mushrooms are browned. 

Drain on kitchen paper.

Add to your casserole & re-cover.

Return to the oven for 30 minutes, or until meat is tender.
(cooking longer is not a bad thing, everything just keeps getting more tender)
Remove the large herb stalks & skim any fat from the surface before serving.

I love to serve this dish with creamy mash potato and a French baguette. 

I also use this recipe to make Boeuf Burgundy Pies.  LOVE.

 

**Posting the Next few days to our site:

ROASTED SPICED CAULIFLOWER WITH YOGURT DRESSING 

"I ate roasted cauliflower at Cumulus Inc a few years ago, prior to this I never loved cauliflower and had reserved it only for soup. Now I have become obsessed with a vegetable I can roast & make incredible salads with. I hope you love my version of Roasted cauliflower."

Updating in the next few days for you - from my little kitchen xx

Molten Chocolate brownies with Jett ...

"Jett & I decided cooking for the 2 of us in lockdown, could be much more of a community & family experience if we cooked and shared. This is one of the first things we cooked and shared with the elderly community of our street, living alone.  I am not a baker, so I have learnt this one from the amazing Donna Hay and it's fabulous."

Sharing this and more the next few days - with Community love x [ The DEMKIW Boutique ]