a 1-pound jar brine-packed grape leaves*
1/2 cup pine nuts
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup packed fresh dill leaves
1/4 cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup long-grain rice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup dried currants
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
about 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

*available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets
grape, leaves, stuffed

4 lamb shanks (3 3/4 lb), trimmed
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 small onions, chopped
3 cups chicken broth or water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 large artichokes
1 lemon, halved
1 cup chopped fresh dill
lamb, shanks, artichokes

For tsatsiki sauce
1/2 seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped), peeled, seeded, and chopped (1 cup)
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

For lamb sandwiches
4 (6-inch) pita pockets, halved crosswise
1 (1/4-inch-thick) bone-in lamb steak from leg (1 1/2 lb), trimmed of excess fat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For Greek salad
1/2 lb romaine, torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
lamb, souvlaki, greek