Lamb chump chops with yoghurt and mint

For 2

4 chump chops, 2cm thick, weighing 400g in total
6 tbsps thick, natural plain yoghurt
2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled
a small handful of fresh mint leaves
1 tsp each of ground cumin and ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients except the lamb in the blender or by hand. Heat the grill to very hot. Slather the spiced yoghurt over both sides of the lamb and grill till firm and slightly charred at the edges. The lamb should be pink in the middle, about 4 minutes on each side. Eat with: A cucumber salad dressed with white wine vinegar and chopped fresh dill; fragrant brown basmati rice; grilled potatoes.

Turkish lamb kebabs

For 2

350g cubed lamb
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano (it is actually better than fresh for this)

I never tire of lemon as a flavouring for meat or fish, particularly when it has has been grilled till faintly crisp outside while retaining succulence within. The Turks and Greeks have made much of the lemon in their cooking, using it both as marinade and dressing. These kebabs rely on nothing but lemon, pepper and the oregano which grows all over the mountainsides. The ones that the locals haven't built a nightclub on.

Season the lamb with the lemon juice and oregano, and coarsely ground black pepper. Grill, on skewers if you can be bothered, till the outside of each cube of lamb chars slightly at the edges. The inside should remain pink. Assuming that you are not cooking this over the coals of a barbecue, the best results come from using a ridged grill pan over a fierce gas jet, making sure the pan is really hot before you brush on some olive oil and add the meat.

Toss the meat around a bit as it browns. Crumble over some flakes of sea salt as soon as it is done to your liking, and eat with a salad of some sort - green leaves or sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.

Moroccan spiced grilled lamb

For 2

2 chump chops or 350g cubed lamb
1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp each of ground cumin and paprika
a pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbsps each of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and coriander leaves
4 tbsps olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Put the lamb in a shallow dish. Mix the other ingredients and toss with the meat. Leave : the flavour will become stronger the longer the meat marinates. Shake any liquid from the meat and cook under a preheated grill till firm and lightly crisped on the outside and pink and juicy within, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Lamb grilled with mustard and lemon

For 2

2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled
a good pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsps dried thyme
2 tbsps grain mustard
2 tbsps lemon juice
4 tbsps olive oil
4 lamb steaks or chops, weighing about 100g each

A mild enough seasoning that does not overpower the flavour of the lamb. Steaks cut from the leg usually come nearly 2.5cm thick - for anything thinner or thicker alter the cooking time accordingly. Crush the garlic with the salt in a pestle and mortar or in a small bowl with the end of the rolling pin. Add the herbs, mustard and lemon juice. Whisk in the oil with a fork, or small whisk, until the mixture has slightly thickened.

Pour one-third over the lamb, turn over the meat and anoint that side too with another third. Heat the grill to very hot. Grill the lamb for 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on how thick the meat is. Brush with the remaining mixture as you turn the meat. The lamb should be a little singed outside, and rare within.

Souvlakia

For 2

350g cubed lamb
1 onion, peeled
50ml olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 pitta breads
4 tbsps yoghurt
a little chopped raw onion and sprinkling of cayenne pepper, to serve

I lived off these spicy parcels - bought for the equivalent of a few pence, and wrapped in thin, slightly greasy pitta - when I spent a month each summer in Greece. They were copiously spiced with onion and hot pepper, with a slick of thin sour yoghurt to drip through the fingers, rendering them deliciously lickable.

Put the lamb in a deep bowl. Whizz the onion to a mush in a processor or blender with the oil, garlic, cumin, cayenne and a grinding of black pepper. Scoop over the lamb cubes and toss. Set aside for an hour if possible, though 15 minutes is better than nothing.

Heat the grill. It should be very hot so that the outside of the lamb crisps nicely before the inside is more than pink. Shake excess marinade from the cubes, then grill till slightly charred but still juicy inside - it will take about 4-6 minutes tossing them about to get all sides cooked. Sprinkle with salt, stuff them into a pitta bread and drizzle yoghurt over them. Sprinkle the top with chopped onion and a dusting of cayenne.