Hearty Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:
15ml sunflower oil
2 onions, sliced
7.5ml chopped garlic
250ml carrots cut into 1cm thick slices
250ml celery cut into 2cm thick slices
500g mushrooms, cut into quarters
3 medium potatoes, unpeeled, washed and cut into 2.5cm chunks
1 x 410g can chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 x 400g can red kidney beans, drained
200ml canned tomato purée
250ml water
5ml dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
 45ml flour
60ml water
60ml red wine

Method:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, if necessary, adding small amounts of water to prevent sticking.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the flour, water and wine. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally while cooking.

In a small bowl, stir the water into the flour, adding the water gradually until a smooth paste is formed. Add to the stew, along with the wine, stirring well into the vegetable mix. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring gently. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving.