Fans of culinaria understand that opinions on lamb never reside in a grey area – either you love it or you hate it. For those who love it, I mean really love it, it ignites a true passion, pride and heritage.

Lamb is the traditional dish of 15 million ethnic Americans – Muslims and Christians of all denominations, specifically the Irish and the Greeks. By the way, Gyros, in my opinion, do not qualify as a "lamb" dish at my table. To me, it's the equivalent of consuming a large, unspiced SlimJim™ that's heated and served on bread.

Spring lamb remained a mainstay on the Sunday menu at my family's Inn, in NY, while I was growing up as well as for the multitudes afore mentioned during the holidays. Set menu. Roast Pork, Ham and Lamb. Roast leg of lamb with gravy and vegetables. Finished and plated with this silly spiced apple and parsley garnish.

We served ungodly amounts of it, plating over 1200 dinners on an average Sunday, to busloads of hungry old ladies, one after another. They ate everything on their plates and snagged the sugar bowls and salt & pepper shakers when they left. I guess it was a sign of epicureal satisfaction.

We'd have the occasionally rogue, "blue hair" swagger back into the kitchen with a 20-gallon shopping bag in hand asking for the leftover leg bones for later. She'd snag another sugar bowl as she left the kitchen.

In some cultures, Lamb is as revered as a large, succulent Maine lobster – as a primal treat only to be consumed at a time of celebration or when the urge hits and I've got a couple hundred bucks burning a hole in my pocket. Sometimes just spying the guy with the lobster tent at Gilberts Corner in the summer will do the trick!

A Morsel of Trivia: Lamb was Julia Child's' favorite entrée.

Let's start with Definitions (garnered from FoodTV.Com and ™ed to the bejesus belt):

Definition: A sheep less than 1 year old, known for its tender meat. Baby lamb and spring lamb are both milk fed. Baby lamb is customarily slaughtered at between 6 and 8 weeks old. Spring lamb is usually 3 to 5 months old; regular lamb is slaughtered under a year of age. Lamb between 12 and 24 months is called yearling; when over 2 years, it's referred to as mutton and has a much stronger flavor and less tender flesh. There are five USDA grades for lamb based on proportion of fat to lean. Beginning with the best, they are Prime, Choice, Good, Utility and Cull. When purchasing lamb, let color be the guide. In general, the darker the color, the older the animal. Baby lamb will be pale pink, while regular lamb is pinkish-red. Lamb can be purchased ground and in steaks, chops and roasts. Lamb variety meats can also be purchased.

Lamb 3 Ways: The first I had in Bermuda less than 72 hours ago, the second from Julia and pulling up the rear (no pun intended) is the result of my misshapen mind.

Bermudian Holiday Rack of Lamb

Chef John Pritchard is an award winning chef, hailed from Toronto and a regular on Food TV, at the newly opened 9 Beaches Resort in Bermuda. Chef John tells me that lamb is the standard holiday and very special occasion meal in Bermudian culture – even as much as their Cod, Potato and Egg hash is on Sundays.

In that vein, the Rack of Lamb is the King. He made this for me. I believe him. As most great chefs, John was adamant about presentation being key so I'm giving you this verbatim with plating instructions. (Remember, it's bad luck not to cross the rib bones on the plate!)

18-20oz Rack of Lamb (New Zealand or US raised which is my preference)
2 tbsp A good Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp Breadcrumbs in a small plate
1 tsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
3 Baby Carrots
3 Baby Zucchini
3 Baby Yellow Squash
3 small Asparagus Spears
2 tbsp Butter
6oz Mashed Potatoes (use your own recipe)
Salt & Pepper

Prep: Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a seasoned, hot, cast iron frying pan sear well both sides of the rack. Remove from heat. In a small bowl add the mustard, parsley and rosemary, mix well and lather the rack with the mixture. Roll the rack in the breadcrumbs and return it to the pan. Place in 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Veggies: Blanch the carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and asparagus – 3 minutes tops. In a sauté pan add the butter and sauté the vegetables.

Plating: Place mashed potatoes in the center of a hot plate and arrange the mixed veggies around the mound. Split the rack and place on top of the potatoes so that the rib bones are crossed.

Navarin d'Agueau Printanier (Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables)

I miss Julia. Her recipes, though classic like this one, inspire us. Recipes, when recited in French, also have a nice way of impressing the table. (It's the little things !) The Middleburg Farmer's Market can provide you with a bounty of wonderful materials for this dish. Julia's online cooking classes are available at http://www.pbs.org/juliachild should you desire to cook along with her. She must have prepared Lamb Stew on TV about 50 times over the years. Always the same (delicious) and she always fully enjoyed the moment while she cooked (the wine might have had something to do with it !) God love her.

3 lbs Lamb Shoulder meat
4 tbsp Red Wine
4 tbsp Flour
4 cups Beef or Chicken broth
4 cloves Garlic, chopped
3 large Fresh Beefsteak Tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Tomato Paste
1 1/2 lbs New Potatoes
12 Baby Carrots
6 med Turnips
12 Spring Pearl Onions
1/4 lb Fresh String Beans
1 cup Fresh Peas
2 tbsp Butter
2 tsp Vegetable Oil
Salt & Pepper

Bouquest Garni: 1 Bay Leaf, 2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme, 2 Sprigs of Parsley Tied together to make removal easier.

In a good size fry pan or flame-proof casserole over medium high heat, drop a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil, add lamb and brown. Make sure it all fits on one layer so as not to crowd the pan. After 4 minutes (making sure the meat is brown), add the wine, scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spatula and mix well. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and stir cooking for another 5 minutes.

Add the broth, Bouquets Garni, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste and bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Simmer for one hour. Add the potatoes, carrots, turnips and cook for 15 minutes.

In a separate pan add the butter and brown the onions for 4- 5 minutes.

Veggies: Blanch the carrots, zucchini and asparagus – 3 minutes tops. In a sauté pan add the butter and sauté the vegetables.

Add the green beans and peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add touch of water if necessary. Pour into the stew and serve.

Slow Cooked Rolled Mint & Garlic Leg Roast

This is an original, tried and true. Threw it together when I was 17 at Dibbles Inn in Vernon, NY. You'll need to find a nice leg roast. You can purchase a deboned roast or do it yourself. Go here to learn; http:/www.recipes.co.nz.cookingtips.points8.html. This will save yourself a few bucks and with the left over bones you can make a great stock for the gravy. The end result on this will be a roast that tastes like is has been roasted in mint jelly. It's unique and wonderful in texture. Using fresh herbs provides a better lather for the roll.

5lb Roast Leg of Lamb
1/4 cup Fresh Rosemary - about 3 good size sprigs
6 cloves Fresh Garlic
1/3 Cup Fresh Mint (Apple Mint is at the Farmers Market !)
As needed Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Roasting String

Rinse the herbs. In a pestle & mortar, add the rosemary, garlic and mint. Pound and grind the mixture into a paste and add olive oil as needed. The goal here is to make a mixture with a paste consistency. In lieu of a pestle & mortar, you could use a bowl and spoon but be thorough and take your time.

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Unroll the roast as flat and you can get it on a cutting board. In necessary, pound with the flat side of meat tenderizer (hammer or last year's Prada shoe). Season with salt and pepper through out. Generously lather the mixture onto the roast, rub it in well like be physical here. (You're Greek now, don't be shy!!)

Roll the roast back together as tight as you can get it and tie it up with your roasting string. Re-lather up the roast on the outside forcing into every nook and cranny. Place in a shallow baking pan. Feel free to place some of your favorite veggies around the roast – Potatoes, carrots and celery will roast well.

Slow cooking is key here. The idea is to allow the meat to sweat a bit, allowing the herbs to cook "in". The longer it roasts at low heat the more intense the mint and garlic will be. This dish goes well with any of the veggies mentioned in the above recipes. For medium tenderness, allow to reach 150-degree internal temperature. Slice it 1/2" thick and plate it. You won't need gravy. Dole out to your favorite "blue hair" and by all means, watch your sugar bowl.

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