Donairs

Believe to be originated in Nova Scotia, however the popular Donair is similar to a Turkish shawarma or a Greek Gyro. They all involve placing seasoned meat on a spit. This recipe bakes the meat but the preparation allows for similar texture of restaurant meat. Here in Nova Scotia, we serve our donairs on a flatbread with onions and tomatoes with a sweet donair sauce!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Herbs & Spices: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp plain flour, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb of medium ground beef

Donair Sauce

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix all the spices together in a small bowl then add to the beef and mix very well.

Step 2: To get the right consistency of the meat, pick up the meat with your hands and throw the meat onto a solid metal surface like a stainless steel bowl, roughly 20 times. After each throw, knead the meat. **This step is important. It texturizes the meat, compacting it, allowing it to be dense and not crumbly.

Step 3: Form the meat into a loaf and place each into a bread loaf pan (regular size, 8 1/2 X 4 1/2). Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until cooked (I use a meat thermometer to be safe, at least 160F). There will be a lot of fat floating around the meat loaves. Drain this out when the meat is fully cooked. Let the meat cool for a while before slicing.

Step 4: To shave the meat, take a fork and a serrated knife and "carve" the donair meat into thin strips.

Step 5: To assemble, take a pocketless pita, or a large flatbread, layer on the meat, topped off with donair sauce. Some people prefer to have chopped onions and tomatoes on top.

*You could always fry the meat before serving too. Heat up a frying pan, really hot with some oil and fry up some meat.

** if you don't like the sweet donair sauce, donairs go well with Tzatziki sauce. I use to live in Fredericton NB, and at the local Farmer's Market they'd sell one mean Donair with tzatziki sauce.