Leek, Spinach & White Bean Pies (VG) from Dirty Vegan Another Bite

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“This couldn’t be simpler. The filling just comes together in the pan and finishes cooking in the oven as the pastry colours. Don’t be precious about the topping, just scrunch and tear the filo pastry sheets to give you lots of folds and edges that will crisp and colour – some might call it messy, but we’ll say ‘rustic’!” Matt Pritchard, author of Dirty Vegan Another Bite

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the pastry

2 leeks, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 tablespoon plain flour

200ml vegetable stock (see page 121 for homemade)

400g can cannellini beans, drained

150g baby spinach

1 lemon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

6 filo pastry sheets

Salt and pepper

150g Tenderstem broccoli, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4). Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan. Fry the leeks gently with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, until starting to soften.

Add the garlic, thyme and flour. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring well to stop the flour catching. Gradually stir in the stock, bit by bit, making sure there are no lumps.

Add the beans and spinach and warm them until the spinach has wilted; this will only take a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Tweak with a squeeze or so of lemon juice and a pinch of nutmeg.

Transfer the bean mix into a snug pie dish, about 25 x 15cm. Brush each filo sheet lightly with olive oil, then roughly scrunch them on top of the pie and loosely tuck them in at the edges.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the filo is golden and crisp. When the pie is nearly ready, steam the broccoli for 3–4 minutes. Serve alongside the pie.