Lamb Recipes

Kazakh fried lamb dumplings with hand-rolled pasta dough wrapped around seasoned ground lamb, rice, parsley, and cilantro, then crisped golden in hot peanut oil. A Central Asian showstopper.

Rack of lamb coated in coarse-grain mustard and rosemary, crusted with cracker crumbs, and roasted hot and fast. Looks like a showstopper, takes 30 minutes flat.

Boneless lamb shoulder stuffed with dried apricots, wrapped in foil, and slow-roasted until fork-tender with a pan sauce.

Quick lamb balti stir-fried in ghee with balti masala paste, garlic, garam masala, and fresh coriander. Tender, fragrant, and on the table in 45 minutes. Serve with warm naan.

Hand-rolled Greek stuffed grape leaves filled with seasoned beef or lamb, rice, currants, pine nuts, and mint. Simmered until tender and served with a classic avgolemono egg-lemon sauce. Makes 60.

Butter-seared filet mignon topped with mango chutney and cracked black pepper, then flambéed with Armagnac. Five ingredients, restaurant-caliber steak in 30 minutes.

Grilled salmon steaks with spicy pineapple sauce is as delightful to look at as it is to eat. What's more, the sauce goes equally well over lots of other fish and meat dishes.

This unique and scrumptious dish uses curried lamb and a yogurt sauce to bring a whole new meaning to the word "flavor".

Spicy Indian lamb curry with garam masala, cayenne, and cardamom, simmered until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.

Homemade Balkan-style skinless sausages (cevapi) made from a three-meat blend of lamb, veal, and pork with paprika and garlic. Grilled until charred and smoky.

I sometimes pan fry these then let them simmer for at least an hour in a spicy Moroccan tomato sauce (recipe to follow). I usually serve the kefta with couscous, a vegetable, some cucumber yogurt sauce, and warmed pita.

Forshmak is a traditional Eastern European baked casserole: salted herring soaked and blended with ground beef and lamb, potato, onion and sour cream, lightened with whipped egg whites under a crisp Parmesan crust.

Moroccan mechoui: paprika and garlic-rubbed leg of lamb roasted over a bed of carrots, onions, tomato and celery. Simple North African feast served straight from the roasting pan.

Eggplant, lamb, and rice casserole layers roasted eggplant with browned ground lamb, cinnamon-spiced tomatoes, white rice, and crumbled feta. A Mediterranean one-dish dinner.

Grape leaves stuffed with ground lamb, rice, pine nuts, mint, parsley, cinnamon, and allspice, simmered in olive oil and lemon juice. A hearty meat-filled dolma served at room temperature.

Cabbage and lamb stew with green and red cabbage, lamb sausage, red potatoes, and Creole mustard. Rustic European-style one-pot dinner ready in an hour.