Lamb

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve this quick stir-fry with rice.

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.

Offer this elegant dish with a sauté of vegetables.

For this osso buco we've substituted lamb shanks for the more traditional veal. We've also borrowed from the Greeks, adding avgolemono, a bright-tasting sauce of eggs, lemon juice, and broth.

Sautéed zucchini or spinach makes a delicious accompaniment. Serve with a dry red wine such as a Naoussa from Greece or a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir from California. Baklava from a local Middle Eastern market is the ideal after-dinner sweet.

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

A cucumber and red bell pepper relish and a pilaf made with fragrant rice (like basmati) are perfect partners for the lamb. For dessert, have coconut ice cream topped with sliced bananas. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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

This hearty dish comes from Havesathe de Havixhorst in the Drenthe Province in De Wijk, the Netherlands.

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.