Discovering the donair

Food seems to weave its way into my writing uninvited.

In my latest book, Conflagration!, food is the foundation for a friendship that springs up in 1734 between the main character Philippe Archambeau, a court clerk, and the jailer he befriends. Lunch becomes a means to extract information, then it becomes much more.

In my first book Hung Out to Die the main character, an American transplanted to Nova Scotia, discovers the delicious joy of the donair. Many people have never heard of this juicy, meat-filled, garlicky concoction, but it is the official food of Halifax. Popular history says the donair – spicy meat wrapped in a pita and embraced with lots of sweet sauce – was invented in Halifax in the 1970s where it rapidly became a must-have menu item for late-night partiers, snackers, and food aficionados.

As my main character, Riel Brava, discovers, the donair can be a little difficult to eat. There is an art to juggling a stuffed pita while licking sauce off your face and adjusting foil wrap to get more donair in your mouth.

The recipe below avoids that dilemma. It’s an appetizer compliments of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. I have adapted the recipe slightly.

Let me know how it tastes.

Donair Dip

 Ingredients

•  1lb (450g) lean ground beef
• 1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
• 1 block (250 g) cream cheese
• 1 cup (250 ml) shredded old cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
• 2 tsp (10 ml) paprika
• 2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder
• 2 tsp (10 ml) onion powder
• 1/2 tsp (2,5 ml) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2,5 ml) black pepper
• 1 cup (250 ml) donair sauce (see below)
• 1/2 diced tomato (optional)
• 1/2 diced onion (optional)

Donair Sauce

• 1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) white vinegar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
• Add all ingredients in a bowl and combine.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
2. Cook the ground beef and the spices together, mix well in a frying pan.
3. Drain off excess grease.
4. Mix the softened cream cheese, cheese and Donair sauce together.
5. Place ground beef mixture on the bottom of 9”x9” cooking dish (or equivalent).
6. Add the cheese and Donair sauce mixture on top of the ground beef mix.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Top with diced veggies after removing from oven (optional).
9. Serve hot or cold with tortilla chips or baked pita slices.