Ioanna’s Spinach Pie
The day after an exhilarating 6 mile hike, a plunge in the Aegean, and a well deserved seafood lunch on the Greek island of Santorini, we superjetted (local high speed ferry service) our way from from the hustle, bustle and hype of Santorini to the tiny, quiet island of Ano Koufinisi. A gem of an island; laid back, super chill with only about 350 permanent residents. I was in love the moment we stepped ashore. The clear, sun-warmed water brought back memories of the azure seas of my childhood when I lived in Okinawa. So far, my (very belated) first visit to Greece was more than living up to my expectations and did not disappoint.
At the port, our ride was nowhere to be seen despite the instructions that a black Renault Kangoo would be there to pick us up. While looking for the email to double check the pick up message, the car as described came whizzing down to the ferry landing with the proprietor, Thianassis at the wheel. Explaining to us that he had to make an unexpected run up to the hotel: it turned out that a ferry from Athens had arrived just before us and he was transferring those guests. Only later did we discover the hotel sits a short 250m from the ferry dock! Thianassis and his wife Ioanna, own and operate the Ionathan Suites Hotel, a boutique hotel well situated slightly up a low hill allowing some nicely framed views to the harbor and surrounding islands to the south. The property sits conveniently surrounded by restaurants and shops and a short path to the port and beaches.
The cluster of individual white-washed villas include 8 comfortable suites, 4 smaller units for 2 people and 4 larger ones which have a separate sitting room with a sofa bed so it's possible to accommodate more people, and all suites had a kitchenette. The centerpiece of the hotel was a beautiful swimming pool with a snack bar, which Thianassis runs, producing just the right libations for the day, mood or taste. His signature cucumber gin and tonic was an epiphany. On the grounds of the hotel there were some massive and healthy looking basil plants and beyond those plants behind the bushes was a small step path that opened up to Ioanna’s secret vegetable garden. There are several pomegranate trees, a pear tree, fig tree, egg plants, zucchinis, tomatoes, chilis, and cucumbers. And yes, those were the cucumbers used in the sublime gin and tonics that Paul and Irene raved about.
Soon after our arrival, Ioanna stopped by our suite to introduce herself and asked us if we needed anything and what we wanted for breakfast the following day. “Eggs, would you like some eggs? I like to do sweet and savory, and perhaps spinach pie, I’ll make some with homemade filo”. We all responded with a “yes, please!” in unison. Greek pies are delicious, who is going to say no to that? And wait, what? Homemade filo? I asked if I could watch her make the pie. She laughed and said yes, “But I’ll be making it early in the morning if you can wake up, please join me”.
So I did. ‘Woke up when it was still dark out and walked over to her house at 6 am, leaving my travel companions gently snoring. "Good morning, I didn’t think you were going to make it, the filo has been resting in the refrigerator overnight". Rats, missed that, the making of the dough that is, oh well. "It’s better to rest it, I will give you the recipe later". Ioanna pulled the dough out of the fridge and started. "I used 500 grams of flour. And some vinegar." Hmm, vinegar, interesting, that I didn’t know, but then again all the spanakopita I’ve made in the past was with store bought filo. As she pulled out the dough, she cut the log of dough into half, one a bit larger than the other. Ioanna sliced the half into pieces. And then she explained that you can use a rolling pin but she uses a pasta maker to flatten out the dough. So instead of big sheets they are narrower strips of filo and not as thin as the store bought ones. We talked about her and her family as she continued to flatten the dough, passing the dough through the machine. I learned that both she and her husband were mathematicians, and that she worked for the ministry of finance for 30 years, and her husband in the private sector. They had 3 children, 2 boys and a girl - all grown up. In fact their daughter, an architect, designed the hotel. And that they have 3 grandchildren. All this, as she continued to flatten the dough, through the pasta maker, several times over. "Use yellow flour"- I guessed it was unbleached flour. I took a pic of the bag so I can find someone to read and translate it for me later.
Once the dough was ready, she arranged them overlapping each one a little and then brushed them with oil to make sure that it didn't dry out. (Sooo, I’ve been buttering my layers of filo with a LOT of melted butter, as per the recipe I was following. I can make it with less butter or no butter the way Ioanna makes it which is much healthier of course, but I do love butter... ) Then she laid another layer perpendicular to the first round and oiled it again.
For the filling she used wild spinach from the neighboring island of Sikonos, added sliced green onions (as an aside, she told me that sometimes she uses leeks when available), dill and a little bit of dried mint. On top of that the feta was crumbled, in biggish chunks. Again, this was different from the way I've been making it where most recipes mix the feta, eggs, spinach, dill, and green onions. Obviously, there is no one right way to make this but Ioanna's way is easier for sure. She put the pie in the oven at 375 F for around 50 minutes. As the pie baked, we had a cup of coffee and chatted a little more, getting into the use of eggs, which many recipes call for and she thought it unnecessary. “When I make cheese pie I use eggs, three eggs and lots of feta in the cheese pie”. And then she went on with her daily business of running a hotel and I went back to find my hotel mates still asleep.
Since I’ve been back I haven’t made any spinach pies, but have made some zucchini and cheese pies with leeks using store bought filo. Next time I make spinach pie, I’ll make it Ioanna’s way, adjusting the filling; no eggs and layer the ingredients instead of mixing it all together. And eventually, I’ll try making the dough. As I was checking out and settling the bill, Ioanna told me as she gave me the recipe for the dough that some people use ouzo or raki instead of vinegar when making filo dough. Obviously there's room to experiment, and I will test them out in the future. Until then, Yamas!
And if you’re interested in staying at Ioanna’s lovely hotel Ionathan Suites Koufanisia contact her on ionathankoufonisia@gmail.com or (+30) 699 6816306 (their website and IG photos are beautiful!)
