Lamb

Bobotie The South Africans were way ahead of us: Curried lamb spiked with raisins and apples and framed by a smooth egg custard is our idea of how meatloaf would be if we had to reinvent it. Although tasty on its own, bobotie is ideal when served with a dollop of chutney—mango for a sweet touch or cilantro for an herby, savory note.

With these distinctly Middle Eastern kebabs, the minty coolness of the yogurt sauce offsets the allspice, pepper, and cinnamon in some of the most succulent and juicy meatballs you have ever tasted.

When there is a whole lamb on the Arab table, the occasion is a special one. It is prepared to celebrate the birth of a child, a marriage, the return from a pilgrimage, or the recuperation from illness. For the host, it is an opportunity to honor the guests, showing them how important they are. When I was growing up, my mother always prepared it for the Eid al Adha, the celebration for the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. It used to be that only families of little means, who could not afford to buy a whole lamb, stuffed the shoulder, neck, or leg. These days, anyone who is preparing dinner for a small gathering will stuff just the leg, as I do here, with a mix of herbs, garlic, and carrots. I prefer farm-raised fresh lamb for this dish, for its tender, delicate meat. Ask your butcher to butterfly the leg of lamb and to leave the thin membrane on the leg; it retains the meat's juices as it cooks.

Swordfish or lamb —guests can choose just one kind of kebab or both. (Chicken can be substituted for the lamb, if you prefer.) The same quick marinade flavors the kebabs, then gets reduced to a sauce for serving alongside.

Improv: You can also use the spice mixture on salmon, chicken pieces, or shrimp.

Ground Urfa and Maras peppers are flavorful without being fiery. If you find only one, use 1 tablespoon of it.

Your butcher can butterfly the lamb for you. What to drink: Bordeaux-blend reds, such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, are the perfect match.

Lamb with anchovy herb paste is a classic Italian preparation. The anchovy doesn't come across as fishy tasting — it simply lends a savory note that blends beautifully with the meat.

Two elements make this dish special. Usually the smaller shanks are braised, but a whole leg works just as well and looks more impressive. Also, white wine is used for the braising instead of red. What to drink: A full-bodied Zinfandel.

Goes great with: Couscous flavored with chopped mint, toasted slivered almonds, and grated lemon peel. What to drink: Australian Shiraz or red Faugères from the Languedoc in France.

If you're making this entire menu in a single oven, we recommend baking the yuca gratin ahead; while it cooks, brown the lamb and coat with the sauce and farofa. When the gratin comes out of the oven, the lamb can go in. (The gratin will stay warm while the lamb bakes and stands.)

Jan Schroeder of Corvallis, Oregon, writes: "A great thing about my job is that I get to do a lot of cooking. I work for the berry industry and one of my duties is developing recipes. I often get ideas from local chefs, but it's also rewarding to see what I can come up with on my own."

The combination of meat and fruit is common in Middle Eastern cuisine. If you aren't familiar with quinces, you might mistake them for hard, yellow apples. They are too tart to eat raw, but become fragrantly delicious (and a lovely shade of pink) when cooked with sugar. Serve this dish with the bulgur with apricots and almonds.