Lamb

One of the sheep at Pennsbury Manor in Morrisville gave birth to triplets yesterday, an unusual occurrence. Pennsbury Manor is the recreation of William Penn's country home, and it has a farm with 14 sheep in addition to cows, horses, chickens and geese. Earlier this week, a second ewe gave birth to twins and a third one had a single lamb. This is Pennsbury's first set of triplets, and all were healthy.

I'm a lamb lover all year long, but in springtime, my craving for chops, shanks, and kebabs hits prime season. It's a good thing local chefs are eager to indulge with an endless variety of interpretations, ethnic spins and techniques, from brines to braises to wood-smoking braziers. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a classically roasted rack. But for these more unusual examples of flavorful lamb cookery, I'd suggest leaving the mint jelly at home.     CORIANDER So many of my favorite lamb dishes come from local Indian restaurants, topped by the coconutty lamb chettinad at Tiffin and the pastry-sealed lamb dampakht curry pot pie at King of Tandoor.

In many cultures, lamb, not ham, is the traditional dinner choice for Easter. Why not make it yours? Boneless lean meat from a leg of lamb is under 600 calories a pound, compared with 800 or more for a ham - even without the syrupy glazed fat. Lamb is a also a better choice for people who need to cut down on salt. Not a bit of a roasted leg of lamb need be wasted. Today we'll show you how to make the most of that holiday dinner. HOW TO ROAST A LEG OF LAMB Don't remove the parchment-like skin (known as the "fell")

We have become a country of ethnic fads, whether we are creating an at-home Tex-Mex plate, a pasta tossed with just about any imaginable ingredient, or a quick Oriental stir-fry. All of these ethnic cuisines have expanded our cooking repertoire and have given us a thirst for more exotic fare. The foods of Morocco, an interesting blend of Middle Eastern, French and African, are just beginning to filter into the American consciousness. One of the best-known ingredients from this culture is couscous, a mixture of semolina flour with a texture somewhere between grits and rice.

The rack of lamb is no longer on the menu at the Gourmet restaurant. David, the lone waiter in the room, pauses breathlessly to explain that the price of lamb got too high, but that the rack is available at $19.50, and that it is done with a coating of bread crumbs and Dijon mustard. Forget the price. Order it. Get it done medium rare so that it's pink and juicy. Scrape away the bread crumb-mustard glop and enjoy. The lamb was the highlight of two visits to this curious Northeast establishment, where the menu seems culled from the back issues of Good Housekeeping, circa 1964.

Many are the times in this column that I have lamented the unfortunate fate of lamb in this country. Over the years, I have pontificated on the prejudices against lamb, particularly by many of my fellow Midwesterners from the heartland of America where it is possible to travel along miles and miles of meatcases and seldom see a lamb chop. I have chastised my fellow butchers for the abominable job most of them do when it comes to cutting up a lamb carcass. Well, while I've been babbling about it, one butcher did something about it!

Queen Village's loss is a Rittenhouse Square adventure eater's gain now that David Ansill, who this summer sadly shuttered his eponymous bistro, Ansill, recently landed at Ladder 15. The adventurous chef, noted for his talent with spare-parts cooking, is a major kitchen upgrade for this former firehouse-turned-trendy Market Street happy-hour hall. The menu of bar snacks and small plates covers plenty of Ansill-esque hits, from those kimchi-spiced Korean tacos to braised pork belly BLT's and decadent burgers topped with short ribs and a side of marrow bone.

LUBBOCK, Texas - In his 33 years raising sheep in West Texas, Glen Fisher has never seen it so good. U.S. consumer demand is up, imports are down, and prices have soared. "You have almost what you can call a perfect storm," said Fisher, 64, who has about 3,100 animals on his acreage near Sonora. "The great part is we have record prices for lambs - the highest ever by a whole lot. " Last year's May delivery of lamb fetched about $1.39 a pound; this year, the price is about $2.20 a pound, said Fisher, the immediate past president of American Sheep Industry Association.

March came in today like a lamb - and a very parched one at that. Today's forecast high of 65, under sunny skies, is 20 degrees above the 45- degree average high for this time of year, said Accu-Weather meteorologist Chuck Jones. Tonight's expected low of 50 also is well above the average low of 28. Mild temperatures are expected to continue through tomorrow and Sunday with highs of 65 and 60, respectively. But it won't be dry. Jones said rain will begin late tonight, continue into tomorrow, and possibly hang around into Sunday.

4 racks of lamb, frenched 1 sprig rosemary 1 sprig thyme 1 sprig parsley Vegetable oil Salt and pepper Mint jelly 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely chop the herbs. Season lamb with salt and pepper, and crust the lamb with herbs. Heat oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Sear until lamb starts to brown. Transfer pan to oven, and cook for three minutes, flip lamb, and continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees.

4 racks of lamb, frenched 1 sprig rosemary 1 sprig thyme 1 sprig parsley Vegetable oil Salt and pepper Mint jelly 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely chop the herbs. Season lamb with salt and pepper, and crust the lamb with herbs. Heat oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Sear until lamb starts to brown. Transfer pan to oven, and cook for three minutes, flip lamb, and continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees.

In Concert 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-917-1228. www.thecolonialtheatre.com . Randy Kaplan. $8.50. 1/21. 2 pm. 2125 Chestnut St.; 267-765-5210. www.r5productions.com . Wrong Answer. $13. 1/22. 6:30 pm. 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City; 609-236-2543. www.hob.com/venues/clubvenues/atlanticcity/ . Everlast. 1/20. 10 pm. 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell; 215-641-6518. www.mc3.edu . Kathy Mattea. $28; $24 seniors; $18 students; $12 children under 12. 1/20.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A New Zealand farm lobby group says sheep shearing has the potential to become an Olympic demonstration sport. Just don't count on seeing it in London next summer or in Rio in 2016. The "time has come to elevate shearing's sporting status to the ultimate world stage," the New Zealand Federated Farmers said in a statement Monday, adding that the world's top shearers are "athletes who take it to another level. " While shearing is a sport, its chances of becoming an Olympic event - even a demonstration one - are slim.

This is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat.   Craig LaBan: It's been a rewarding week on the drink-and-dine trail for me. I also had a chance to cook this weekend for the first time in a while: lamb and chicken kebabs (just dusted with exotic ras el hanout spice mix and slathered with chermoula cilantro paste), served over fluffy couscous with a zucchini-chickpea ragout stewed in a spicy tomato-zucchini broth. When I was on the hunt for ingredients at the Reading Terminal, absolute mobs clogged the aisles and lunch counters (you'd think the pork sandwich at DiNic's was the Liberty Bell . . .)

SCHROEDER, Minn. - Eagles had tag-teamed overhead all the way up the North Shore, and as we turned onto the gravel road toward the cabin, I rolled down the car window and breathed in the piney air. The lake that I always think of as "my lake" (but everyone else thinks of as "Lake Superior") sparkled in the afternoon sun. The air was silky, the sky was bright blue, it was a beautiful day. "By the way," I told my friend Joey McLeister, as we hauled our bags out of the car, "the cabin only has one bedroom.

LUBBOCK, Texas - In his 33 years raising sheep in West Texas, Glen Fisher has never seen it so good. U.S. consumer demand is up, imports are down, and prices have soared. "You have almost what you can call a perfect storm," said Fisher, 64, who has about 3,100 animals on his acreage near Sonora. "The great part is we have record prices for lambs - the highest ever by a whole lot. " Last year's May delivery of lamb fetched about $1.39 a pound; this year, the price is about $2.20 a pound, said Fisher, the immediate past president of American Sheep Industry Association.

April 16 Spring Wine Dinner: From Farm to Table , a five-course gourmet meal featuring wine pairings with locally-produced fare. Lynne Goldman, publisher of BucksCountyTaste.com, will discuss the eat-local movement, with information on Bucks County-area producers. $95, plus tax and gratuity; reservations required. 7:30 p.m. at Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 1853 Wrightstown Rd., Washington Crossing. Information and reservations: 215- 493-6500 (Ext. 19) or www.crossingvineyards.com . Ahead April 23: Seafood 101 , a demonstration and sampling class, plus question-and-answer time, on preparing and cooking fish with cookbook author Aliza Green, featuring recipes from her newest work, The Fishmonger's Apprentice.

GARLIC, ROSEMARY AND LAVENDER-SCENTED LEG OF LAMB WITH SPICY MINT SAUCE 4- to 5-pound shank-end half leg of lamb 6 large garlic cloves 1 1/2 teaspoons dry lavender 1 tablespoon stripped fresh thyme 2 tablespoons sea salt 2 tablespoons mixed peppercorns 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence Mint Sauce (recipe below) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim all excess fat and fell (silver skin) from lamb, then pierce the skin with 15 or so small cuts.

William Arthur Lamb, 85, of Malvern, a retired civil engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, died Monday, Oct. 4, of dementia at home. After his appointment in 1967 as assistant engineer for the Philadelphia district of the Pennsylvania Highway Department, now PennDot, he oversaw the design, construction, and improvements of major roadways in the city and its suburbs. His projects included construction of I-95 exit and entrance ramps through Philadelphia and the Vine Street Expressway.

First, at the Friday-evening-jammed counter at El Rey, comes my order of three palm-sized lamb tacos ( arbes , on the menu). Well, make it second. First is a chubby tumbler of a margarita, ice-packed, light salt on the rim. Someone's elbow pokes me on one side, oblivious. Inches on the other is another guy: he looks like he could sub for one of El Rey's plaid-shirted counter guys: Hmmm , but he's reading a monograph titled, Transoral Robotic Surgery: Does the Ends Justify the Means . (Yes, it says "does the ends," which I can't help but point out.)