Leek, Spinach and White Bean Pie
Presenters: Mathew Pritchard, TV personality, vegan cook and endurance athlete
Join Matt Pritchard, the former front man of MTV’s Dirty Sanchez, as he discusses how and why he left his pranking and partying days behind for a love of vegan food, health and fitness, and charity fundraising. Matt shows us how to cook a simple, tasty vegan Leek, Spinach and White Bean Pie while sharing his story. Matt says:
“This couldn’t be simpler. The filling 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’!”
Content warning: this session may include references to suicide, depression, anxiety and mental health challenges
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Video time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- 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
- 400g can cannellini beans, drained
- 150g baby spinach
- 1 lemon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 6 filo pastry sheets
- Salt & pepper
- 150g Tenderstem broccoli, to serve
Equipment
- Ovenproof dish deep enough for the pie
- Big frying pan or deep dish pan
- Knife
- Pastry brush.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees 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 few 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.
See more from Men's Health Week 2022
Men’s Health Week at the Virtual Village Hall was dedicated to supporting men’s mental and physical wellbeing. Catch up with TV doctor and mental health campaigner, Dr. Alex George, the Men’s Health Forum, Andy’s Man Club, Mental Health First Aider Rob Stewart, and a team of expert tutors and presenters for supportive sessions, gentle exercise classes and mindful activities.
