Mint

Add crunch to the meal by having rice cakes on the side. Sauvignon Blanc is a good choice to balance the flavors of the vegetables.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The lamb that we buy today hardly requires a typical English mint sauce (the puckery flavor was originally designed to cut through the stronger taste of mutton), but the combination is by now a traditional and still-welcome one. Buttered carrots and a watercress salad would complement the lamb nicely. Uncork a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon or red Bordeaux.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Called fattoush in Lebanon, this colorful dish is offered as a first course at Al-Amir restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Mint and spices add a Turkish flair to this yogurt-based marinade. The flavors are perfect with lamb kebabs or chicken. It's also a good dip for crudités or pita bread. The recipe makes enough to marinate 1 1/2 pounds of lamb or chicken, with some remaining to serve on the side. Any marinade coming in contact with raw meat, seafood or poultry must be boiled for one minute before using it for basting.

A classic lamb preparation from the Temple House in Ballymote, Ireland. Mint adds a nice touch to the puree.

Note: To slice the onion and fennel in the following salad into paper-thin spirals, we used a Japanese rotary device known as the Benriner vegetable slicer.

Tonya Morrison of Lewis Center, Ohio, writes: "My husband and I had a wonderful time on our vacation to Kiawah Island, South Carolina. One night we had dinner at Rosebank Farms Café in Bohicket Marina Village. The recipe for their roast pork tenderloin with apple and raisin chutney would make a delicious souvenir." In this imaginative main course, the chutney adds a sweet, tart contrast to the herb-roasted pork and the rich, creamy corn.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 15 min

A Vietnamese-style salad that makes a refreshing accompaniment to any kind of barbecued meat.

If you prefer, you can pile the lamb and salad on top of a larger pocketless pita for an open-face sandwich and drizzle with sauce. Pocketless pitas are sold at specialty foods shops and many supermarkets. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min