Lamb

Mrouzia Mrouzia is a dish traditionally made after the celebration of Aid el Kebir ("Feast of the Slaughter of the Lamb"), an occasion when, historically, a family would have large amounts of meat on hand. In the days before refrigeration, the lamb was cooked in copious amounts of fat and spices to preserve it. Don't worry — this version has much less butter and less intense spicing than the original. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 3 hr

The sautéed fennel and carrots is an excellent accompaniment to these chops. Boiled potatoes and sautéed greens would also be a good match.

In central New York State where I grew up, summertime is speidie-time. Speidies are beef or chicken kabobs marinated in a locally produced spiedie sauce. Nobody makes their own; everybody buys it by the case to make it through the summer's grilling. Now that I live downstate, I've had to devise my own speidie sauce (really nothing more than a quite acidic vinaigrette), which I'm willing to share for the very first time.

The lamb top roast is one of the three "subprimal" cuts that can be cut from the leg of lamb. The equivalent of the beef top round roast, but smaller and more tender, it provides a succulent boneless lamb roast when you don't want to deal with a whole leg. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Raita is traditionally served as a cooling complement to particularly spicy dishes in Indian cuisine, but we find this yogurt salad an excellent accompaniment to a wide variety of foods, including the mild curried lamb patties below. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

Lamb has a tender consistency and a rich flavor that enhance the texture of wines such as Hermitage, Côte Rôtie, and Shiraz.

In this take on a classic salad, we combine bulgur with the usual tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint, then add garbanzo beans and broiled lamb for a change of pace.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

From the Spa at Doral in Miami.

Rice pilaf and sautéd Swiss chard would be nice accompaniments, and some sweetened strawberries spooned over pound cake would make a good dessert.

The secret to this dish is to trim the okra very carefully at the top, cutting the stem without cutting open the okra at all.

The bread, the lamb and the charmoula--a spicy mix of red bell pepper, onion, cilantro and spices--combine beautifully in this bread from executive chef Rafih Benjelloun of Imperial Fez restaurant in Atlanta.