The donair is the street food of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in 2015 the city made it official. The council split evenly on the motion and the mayor cast the deciding vote, which is about as Canadian a way of settling a sandwich as can be imagined. It began in the early 1970s, when Peter Gamoulakos, a Greek immigrant selling gyros at a pizzeria in Bedford, just outside Halifax, set about adapting them to local taste. He swapped the lamb for spiced ground beef, roasted on a vertical spit and shaved thin, and replaced the yogurt sauce with a sweet one of evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar and garlic.

A classic Halifax donair is wrapped in a soft pita with diced tomato and raw onion and nothing more: no lettuce, no cucumber and certainly no tzatziki. It is the traditional end to a late night out in the city. Without a rotating spit at home, the meat is kneaded into a dense loaf, baked, sliced thin and seared in a hot pan until the edges crisp, a well established home method that gets remarkably close. The sauce surprises on the first bite and seems indispensable by the third.

The donair meat

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) ground beef
• 2 tablespoons (16 g) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

1. Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Line the baking sheet with foil and set the wire rack on it.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne until evenly colored.
3. Put the beef in the large bowl, sprinkle over the spice mixture and knead with your hands, squeezing and folding, for a full 5 minutes. Or beat it in the stand mixer with the paddle on medium low speed for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Lift the meat onto the wire rack and shape it into a tight, smooth loaf about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 4 inches (10 cm) wide, slapping it firmly with your palms to knock out any air pockets.
5. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the thermometer pushed into the center reads 160°F (71°C). Leave it on the rack to rest for at least 20 minutes, or cool it completely and chill it if you are working ahead.
6. Cut the loaf in half lengthwise, then slice each half as thinly as you can, about 1/8 inch (3 mm). Heat the dry skillet over medium high heat and lay in the slices in a single layer. Sear for 1 to 2 minutes, turn with tongs and sear 1 minute more. Work in batches and keep the cooked slices warm on a plate covered with foil.

The sweet sauce

Ingredients

• 1 can (12 fl oz / 354 ml) evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) white vinegar

Method

1. Pour the cold evaporated milk into the medium bowl, add the sugar and garlic powder and whisk for about 2 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved.
2. While whisking steadily, pour in the vinegar in a very thin stream, about a tablespoon at a time, whisking for a few seconds between additions.
3. Cover the bowl and chill the sauce for at least 30 minutes. It will thicken a little more in the fridge.

Wrapping the donairs

Ingredients

• 6 Lebanese style pitas
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 small white or yellow onion

Method

1. Lay a pita in the hot skillet for about 20 seconds on each side, or sprinkle it with a few drops of water and warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds, so it is soft and pliable.
2. Lay a square of foil on the counter and put a warm pita on it. Pile a sixth of the meat down the middle, scatter over plenty of tomato and onion, and spoon over a generous amount of sauce.
3. Fold the bottom of the pita up over the filling, then fold in the sides. Wrap the foil tightly around the lower half so it catches the drips as you eat.

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