Spring lamb and fresh peas will always be my go-to recipe for Easter. This combination is the culinary equivalent of putting away your winter coats. Fortunately, now that I live on the French Riviera, I no longer have to worry about heavy winter jackets. In Provence, the lamb is grass-fed and delicious.

Local free-range lamb is easy to find in Provence, so there are many typical dishes that you will find on menus. Navarin d’Agneau is a traditional slow-cooked stew made with root vegetables.

Great lamb is easy to find in Provence, most of which is organic, and grass-fed. This recipe, for Persian-spiced Lamb Shanks, brings together the best of this complex middle-eastern cuisine. The flavours of Persia combine sweet, sour, savoury, hot, floral, and earthy into a subtle taste explosion.

As summer segues into Fall, I cannot help but hope summer will linger on just a bit longer. It’s not the Pacific Northwest’s impending rainy season or even the imminent cold weather that I fear, it’s just that no other season expresses Provence more succinctly. Fall in Provence Summer is …

This main course of lamb chops brushed with lavender honey invokes images (and flavours) of lazy summer days in Provence. The roasted lamb is paired with a Moroccan spiced salad that can you can easily prepare in advance.

This recipe for herbes de Provence crusted lamb lollipops almost defines the classic flavours of Spring – local lamb, fresh herbs and market vegetables. I call this garrigue-crusted lamb as the topping is made with fresh herbs that you typically find in the hills of Provence. Start the preparation with the oven-roasted tomatoes as that takes a while. During that time prepare the lamb and fresh spring vegetables of your choice.

This recipe it is an easy casserole of Baked Eggplant and Lamb with Tomatoes and Pine Nuts.

Ras El Hanout is a spice blend essential to Moroccan cooking and critical for a traditional lamb and chicken couscous recipe. The name translated literally means ‘head of the shop’ for which actual mixtures vary, and in some cases, maybe closely guarded family secrets.

With the taste of an all day slow roasted cassoulet, this quick and easy version is great any day of the week. Tender chicken breasts with creamy cannelllini beans and wild mushrooms is a definite win at the table.

This holiday menu is not exclusive to the Christmas season; however, the heavier flavours lend themselves to cooler evenings and Rhone Valley red wine blends. This meal combines some real Provencal classics including garlic aioli, local lamb with herbes de Provence, tomatoes, a hint of Pastis and a not too sweet dessert. …