Lamb

Marinating the lamb for one day in a thick mixture of yogurt, lime juice, and spices intensifies the Indian tastes.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Because the lamb in this recipe is marinated in a barbecue-style sauce and then grilled, the hotel nicknamed the dish "paniolo", which means "cowboy" in hawaiian.

Crown roasts are often done with pork, but lamb also makes for a festive presentation—and it's a delicious change of pace. Request the roasts from the butcher ahead of time, since they are usually prepared to order. Pour a Syrah with dinner if you've chosen this main course.

Most Russian Orthodox families roast the meats the day before the feast so that preparation can be kept to a minimum when they come home from church. The baby lamb is symbolic of Christ as well as an ode to the arrival of spring.

This is a very attractive roast when properly trimmed and tied. You may have a smallish crown roast or one made with a double rack. Allow about 2 chops per person.

These chops become extra special with a highly seasoned crumb coating usually pressed onto rack of lamb.

This eggplant and lamb casserole, a taverna staple, is known the world over as the Greek national dish. In this lightened version, it's topped with yogurt rather than the customary béchamel sauce. (Moussaka is often made with beef instead of lamb.)

In this menu, guests make their own sandwiches, piling on rosy slices of spring lamb, chopped grilled green onions and a variety of condiments. Uncork a red Rhône wine (we recommend Gigondas) or a Pinot Noir to pour with the sandwiches; have a selection of sodas and bottled water on hand, too.

Shullie Neumark of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, writes: "I like cooking but I'm a little bit impatient, which is why I make dishes that can be done ahead of time — and quickly. I hate being rushed before meals, especially when guests are on their way over. Those guests are usually good friends or members of our large family. My husband and I emigrated from South Africa seven years ago. I am retired from preschool teaching, but I still keep busy by cooking for the family. A typical South African dinner is a barbecue with lots of grilled lamb chops and sausages."

The long cooking time makes this lamb meltingly tender. Offer noodles alongside.

Mark Taylor of West Hartford, Connecticut, writes: "I started cooking out of necessity when I first graduated from college, since I couldn't afford to eat out. Having grown up watching my mother cook for our large family, I used her recipes. She was always trying new dishes whenever we had guests and sharing her adventurous attitude toward eating. These days, even though my wife and I both work, we still cook several times a week. Now I tend to rely on recipes I've picked up from restaurants and friends. I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients and figuring out new ways to improve a recipe, as I've done with the one here."

For this recipe the lamb racks are frenched all the way down to the eye of the meat. For decorative purposes, we asked our butcher to leave a 1-inch-wide strip of fat along the top of the eye of the rack.