By MARTI MENDENHALL // Mark Bowden, guitarist, writer, producer, and one of the top nationally known go-to musicians cooks with Marti and is joined by his partner Rachel and singer Karen Lovely. They'll make his famous, pocket-friendly Lamb Gyros with Tzatziki (Rachel's) sauce.
Welcome to Marti’s Music Kitchen, the Fun Music and Food Podcast, where anything can happen! Today’s guest is Mark Bowden, guitarist, writer, producer, and one of the top nationally known go-to musicians. He’s shared the stage with names like Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Booker T. Jones, Curtis Salgado, and the list goes on.
Not only is Mark an accomplished musician, he also runs SonicButter PDX Studios, producing everything from Rock and Pop to Alt Country. When he’s not producing, he is on the road playing guitar, and collaborating with many other outstanding musicians. One of those is with the multi-award winning Blues artist and social activist, Karen Lovely, who Mark invited to join us. But wait, that’s not all, he is also a major foodie and LOVES to cook!
On the menu today, Mark’s famous, pocket-friendly Lamb Gyros with Tzatziki sauce, made by his partner, Rachel. His specialty for this dish is homemade pita bread. He makes it so easy, you’ll never want to buy grocery-made again! Let’s see if we can get Mark and Karen to spill the secrets of music and food on an international scale. Come with me into this mouth-watering episode … and let’s get cooking!
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=503188003653855
LAMB GYROS: (makes 8 gyros)
Lamb Filling:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Notes: The onions are optional but I prefer them as they play nicely off the spiced meat. I use Roma tomatoes for their flavor and lower moisture content. If you like a crunchier Gyro you can use the firmer, inner Romaine leaves at the center of the head. I find Romaine has a better flavor than the typical iceberg lettuce choice. If you are vegetarian or GF, you can sub in a good falafel recipe for the meat. I’ve had great success with GF pitas. Bob’s Red Mill has a number of different options for GF flours combinations. Experiment!
Mark Bittman’s Pita Bread Recipe: https://www.markbittman.com/recipes-1/pita
Makes 6-12 Pitas, cook/prep time at least 2 hours. Somewhat unattended!
Mark Bowden’s Tips/Tricks on Making Pita Bread:
Always use a good quality bread flour such as Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour or Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. I typically use 1.5x the recommended amount of yeast and select the Fast Acting variety. I find it easiest to mix the dough in a Kitchen Aid style table mixer. Mix it just enough to get to the clumped sticky stage. Then turn the dough out on to a floured baker's mat and kneed it by hand until the dough has a satiny patina and springs back to the touch. When making GF dough always follow the recommended instructions on the Bob's Red Mill package as GF dough is a different beast altogether!
Use a baking stone and pre-heat it for a good 30 minutes or more! Keep the temperature at 350 degrees max. I find it easy to transfer rolled rounds from the counter to the oven using a wooden pizza peel lightly sprinkled with corn meal. The rounds slide right off the peel on to the stone with ease and having the cornmeal in the pita gives it a bit of texture. Do not overcook the rounds! 3-5 minutes per side max! If you brown them you will have pita crackers!
TZATZIKI Recipe:
DAY AHEAD of making (optional, but ensures a better texture) :
DAY OF:
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2/1 tribute show at Rev Hall celebrating George Harrison’s 50th Anniversary for “All Things Must Pass,” https://www.eventbrite.com/e/george-harrisons-all-things-must-pass-a-50th-anniversary-celebration-tickets-73901436185,
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=503188003653855
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Karen Lovely website: https://www.karenlovely.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenlovely.official
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenlovely
Marti’s website: http://MartiMendenhall.com
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