ham vegetable stew

I got into making stews because after my Oktoberfest Meatloaf video in October, I had 5 bottles of pumpkin beer left over. Then after I made my Deconstructed Oxtail Meatloaf video that same month, I had leftover vegetable stock. So I found a recipe on the Internet that used beer in a stew(http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/vegetable-beef-stew) and I made it my own.

I had made 3 stews before this video(none of which were recorded on film), so 3 bottles of beer were used, which left me with 2 bottles left. In the making of this recipe, there was a failed stew recipe I tried making- it involved French fried onions, raw hominy(gross), and raw adzuki beans(which are disgusting). It smelled horrible so I 86'd that recipe and decided to make a video of a stew using ingredients I like that I have used before in stews. It was actually the first time I had hominy and adzuki beans. Lo and behold, this recipe actually smelled and tasted good!

Adzuki beans, by the way, when made into a paste, are sweet, which is what I was initially hoping for. In fact, adzuki bean paste is a common Asian dessert paste.

You may be wondering, why pink beans? I have used them in a previous stew with success and they sound very interesting. Goya has cans of pink beans.

I make stew because I usually make enough of it to last me 3-5 dinners. Plus it pairs well with garlic bread or even wonton strips!

This recipe uses the ham stock I made in the previous video. I don't make stocks for my own health, you know!

You will need:

For the cooking equipment:

A large saucepot
A small bowl

For the stew:

4 cups of ham stock
1- 12 ounce bottle of beer(I used pumpkin beer but you could use whatever beer you want, so long as it's not nonalcoholic beer- I don't know how that would taste in a stew)
3 1/2 cups of pink beans, drained(it's important to drain the beans first; otherwise, you'll end up with a salty stew and nobody likes salty stews)
9 chopped up baby carrots
4 cups of cooked vegetables(I used frozen vegetables that I cooked in the microwave. They were sweet potatoes and a medley of green beans, peas, corn, and carrots. But you can use whatever vegetables you want)
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of marjoram
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt

For the mixture that thickens the stew:

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

1. Put all stew ingredients in a large saucepot.
2. Mix all the ingredients of the saucepot around with a spoon so that the spices are distributed evenly among the stew.
3. Place saucepot on a stove and turn the burner on. Cover saucepot with lid. Bring stew to a boil.
4. Once the stew is at a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the stew simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Every 10 minutes, stir the stew around using a metal spoon.
6. After 45 minutes, turn the burner off for now.
7. To make the thickening mixture, put the granulated sugar, water, flour, and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well.
8. Pour thickening mixture into the saucepot. Stir the mixture into the stew.
9. Cover saucepot with lid and bring stew to a boil.
10. Once the stew is at a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the stew simmer for another 3 minutes.
11. After 3 minutes, turn the burner off and uncover the saucepot. Let the stew cool down for 5-10 minutes before you actually put it in your mouth.
12. Serve with garlic bread or wonton strips.
13. Bon appetit!