"champagne" stew

You may be wondering why I have been posting so many videos to YouTube within the past couple of days- I'm starting a new day job soon and I just want to get my queue of videos I have recorded but not uploaded over and done with.

But just because I'm starting my new day job doesn't mean I'll stop posting videos. You''ll see at least 2 new videos on my channel every week, when they will be posted will be dependent on my work schedule, but it will probably be on the weekends.

A few weeks ago, I told my dad about a crazy idea for a stew with orange juice in it and he said it would taste too sweet. So I decided to use sparkling white grape juice as the "champagne" for this recipe, although you could use real champagne in place of the juice, if you are so inclined. But real champagne is expensive.

The stew was hearty but its appearance reminded me of the dim sum soup my dad gets from a Chinese takeout place. To be fair, the vegetables I used came from a frozen vegetable bag that said "good for Asian recipes". It doesn't taste like Chinese takeout though. You get a strong hint of grape flavor from the juice. Plus it's good with some crispy wonton strips or some garlic bread.

As for the turkey stock, it was leftover from the stock I used for my eggnog stew.

You will need:

For the cooking equipment:

A large saucepan
A small bowl

For the stew:

5 cups of vegetables(I used broccoli, carrots, and water chestnuts)
2 1/2 cups of butter beans
2 cups of turkey stock
12 ounces of champagne or sparkling white grape juice
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of marjoram
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt

For the thickener:

1/4 cup of water
1 tsp. of sugar
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
2 tbsp. of all-purpose flour

1. Put all stew ingredients into a large saucepan.
2. Bring the stew to a boil on the stove. Once it's boiling, cover it and reduce it to a simmer. Let the stew simmer for 45 minutes.
3. While the stew is simmering, you can make the thickener. Just put all thickener into a small bowl(like a cereal bowl). Mix all the ingredients together.
4. When the stew is done simmering, turn the stove off.
5. Pour the thickener into the stew. Mix the thickener into the stew using a spoon.
6. Bring it to a boil again. Once it's boiling, cover it and reduce it to a simmer. Let the stew simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
7. Once the stew is done simmering a second time, remove the cover from the saucepan and let it cool down for 5-10 minutes before serving.
8. Serve with wonton strips or garlic bread. Bon appetit!