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

Having the lamb boned makes it easier to serve at the table — you won't have to struggle with trying to slice around the bone.

For ease of preparation, ask for the full round, not the short cut or partial leg, and have the butcher butterfly it for you.

The fine bulgur in this recipe might seem like a specialty ingredient, but it is actually in most supermarkets, near the rice, under the name Near East Taboule Wheat Salad Mix (you won't need the seasoning packet). Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Oven-roasted red potato chunks sprinkled with chives; steamed and buttered baby carrots; and a limestone lettuce salad would be good accompaniments to this elegant main course. Finish with a strawberry-rhubarb pie from the bakery.

My recipe was adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I've changed the meats (a lot) and the seasonings (a bit). I've also tinkered with cooking times and sequence.

Look for peanut sauce in the Asian foods section of the supermarket. Serve with: Couscous and a cucumber-romaine salad tossed with mint-yogurt dressing. Dessert: Mango sorbet and coconut macaroons.

Easy to make and absolutely delicious. Pour a good Cabernet Sauvignon with this.

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.