The Halifax Gyro in the same style, how I believe Peter Gamoulkas would have originally offered to Halifax. Made with thinly sliced marinated Beef or Lamb and spiced with Halifax Donair Spice. Stuffed inside a steamed Pita Bread with Sauce, an assortment of Vegetables and Cheese. Optionally, add some Red Greek Sauce. Makes 4 decent size (1/4 lb) Gyros or 2 Large Gyros (1/2 lb).
Servings: 4 1/4 lb Gyros
Equipment
- 1 Marinating Bowl with Cover
- 1 Steamer Set
- 1 Pair of Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Beef or Lamb - Thinly sliced, can use diced Chicken or Pork
- 3 Tbl Donair Spice - Leveled Tablespoons or the standard donair seasoning in the notes per 1 lb of meat
- 1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Light tasting or Neutral oil
- 1/2 C Water - or Milk for tougher cuts
- 1 Tbl Pimento Paste - optional - Sweet or Hot for really Spicy
- A Handful Lettuce - per wrap
- 1/4 C Cucumber - Diced
- 1/4 C Onion - Diced
- 1/4 C Bell Pepper - Diced
- 1/4 C Tomatoes - Diced
- Choice of Cheese - see notes
- As Desired Tzatziki Sauce - Prepared in advance
- As Desired Red Greek Sauce - optional, prepared in advance
Instructions
- Place into a Marinating Bowl 1 lb. of thinly sliced or diced meat with 3 leveled Tbl of Halifax Donair Spice. Mix really well. Optionally, refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the spices to get in and flavor the meat.
- Add in Oil & Water or whole Milk for tougher cuts of meat and mix well. Optionally, add the Sweet Pimento paste. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours until all the liquids are mostly or fully absorbed.Prepare any vegetables and sauces you will want for the Hali Gyros.
- Heat the steamer up over max heat with 1 cup of water. Steam the Pita Breads just until soft and open them up about 40% along the edge. Carefully separating to create a pocket.
- Empty the water out and use the bottom pan to fry the meat. Turn the heat down to medium high and add the meat, spreading it out. Leave for 2 minutes. Give it another stir and leave again for another 2 minutes. Then continue to cook, mixing every so often, for a total cook time of 8–10 minutes. All the liquids should have evaporated and just the fat left behind.If adding in shredded cheese or provolone cheese, you can place the cheese on the meat and cover to melt and then transfer to the pitas.
- Assemble the Hali Gyro;Steamed Pita Bread top flap folded backPlace Vegetables in the middleSlather the desired amount of Tzatziki Sauce on the Top inside FlapOptionally Drizzle Red Greek Sauce over the Vegetables or the MeatPlace 1/4 lb of Gyro Meat on topAdd Cheese on top of the meatFold over the Top flap and tuck the filling in to fill the pocket. Roll tight and serve, or slice the Hali Gyro in half and serve. If serving at a later time, wrap the Gyro in wax paper or tin foil and set aside until ready to serve. If saving leftovers, wrap in waxed paper or tin foil to keep the wrap soft and fresh.
Notes
Standard Donair Spice
Use about 1 tsp of the following per 1 lb of thinly sliced steak. Except for Cayenne Pepper, which can start at 1/8 tsp and up based on heat preference. Some only use 1/2 tsp Garlic & Onion per 1 lb. of Beef. You can start with 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, Onion & Garlic, and 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper and then up it based on your preference.- Salt
- Oregano
- Garlic
- Onion
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
Types of Cheese
- Use crumbled or diced Feta Cheese
- A 3:1 shredded Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese blend.
- Sliced Provolone Cheese Halves