Lamb

At the restaurant, the lamb is served with cilantro-corn mashed potatoes.

Here's our version of Barba Yianni's grilled lamb. The marinade works equally well with lamb chops, kebabs, or butterflied leg of lamb. You can also use it on pork or chicken. Skordalia is often made with mashed potatoes or bread soaked in water, but we feel the yogurt gives it more flavor. Skordalia is also good with grilled fish or chicken breasts.

The Centre de Formation en Restauration Traditionnelle, a government-sponsored cooking school in Rabat, is dedicated to preserving the art of traditional Moroccan gastronomy. The students, all young women, will go on to staff Morocco's embassies and consulates around the world. This classic tagine recipe, given to me by the Centre's former director, Monsieur Tamer, is part of the school's delectable curriculum.

This dish is said to have first been prepared in the imperial kitchens for Sultan Murad IV in the early 1600s.

This unusual Iranian stew is served hot at the table from the casserole in which it has been cooked. The lid is lifted, and the delicious aromas of rich tender lamb, fresh herbs, spinach and beans fill the room. Serve with rice or orzo.

Inspired by Middle Eastern cooking.

Our food editors agree that this is one of the best-tasting and most elegant shepherd's pies they've ever had. The recipe is not as complicated as it appears at first glance—the different components all come together to make a complete meal in a single dish. The potatoes are stiffer than the average mash because they will be forming the crust for the pie.

Finish off this meal with some cookies from the bakery and fresh fruit.

Ask your butcher to remove the backbones from the racks to make carving easier. If the lamb has not been trimmed, cut off the outer layer of fat and about two inches of the fat between the bones (the bones will be exposed); this technique is called "Frenching." Begin preparing the lamb a day before serving to allow time for marinating.

"While visiting Chicago, I had dinner at The Berghoff," writes Mary H. Wright of Arlington, Virginia. "I'd like to prepare the excellent lamb chops for my family."

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min When we think of fall fruits, persimmons are all too often forgotten — but they're wonderful. Here, they make a salsa-like chutney that's perfect for lamb chops.

A great way to make a different and light meal with leftover lamb.

Perfect with mashed potatoes.

(Greek Lamb and Pasta Casserole)