One last cool-weather stew employs the flavors of spring

In Chicago, springtime and warmth do not necessarily gotogether.

There's plenty of time to work in one last, hearty, braised dishbefore the days turn reliably warm.

Braised lamb with rhubarb, orange and mint is the perfecttransitional dish for chilly spring days.

Hardy rhubarb is one of the first plants to peek out of the soilin spring. And while everyone thinks of it as pie fruit, those wholove its distinctive, tart taste will enjoy eating it as a vegetable.If fresh rhubarb is not available, frozen, thawed rhubarb may besubstituted.

Even though it's now available year-round, lamb traditionallyhas been associated with spring. It's also associated with fat.But unlike some meats, lamb wears most of its fat on the outside.Trimmed, many lamb cuts are lean indeed.

The leanest lamb cut of them all is the shank - either theforeshank or the leg shank. Lamb shanks don't have a lot of meat onthem, but they have tons of flavor. As any chef knows, the secret isthe bone. Bone lends any stock or gravy an intense, wonderfullymeaty flavor.

Like all stews, this one improves with age. Make it the daybefore, leaving out the mint, then gently reheat with the mint.

If you can't find lamb shanks, veal shanks work fine in thisdish.

The braised lamb is a meal in itself. Serve it with bread, andmaybe a tossed salad. BRAISED LAMB WITH RHUBARB AND ORANGE

3 navel oranges 3 lamb shanks, about 1 pound each About1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 teaspoons flour 1 to 2 clovesgarlic, peeled and sliced

2 cups fat-skimmed beef broth 3/4 pound fresh rhubarb 1bunch scallions 1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint Pepper to taste

4 cups cooked bulgur (cracked wheat); couscous or rice may besubstituted

Squeeze juice and grate peel from one of the oranges; setaside.

Trim as much fat as possible from shanks.

Lightly film bottom of dutch oven with oil; heat over mediumheat. Add lamb shanks and thoroughly brown on all sides. Removeshanks to a plate.

Pour off all fat from pan. Stir in flour, scraping up brownbits from bottom of pan. Stir in garlic, orange juice and peel, andbroth. Add lamb shanks back to pot. Cover and simmer over very lowheat for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until lamb is fork-tender. Remove lambshanks and set aside. When cool enough to handle, remove meat frombones and discard bones.

While lamb cooks, remove any tough strings from rhubarb and sliceinto 1/4-inch pieces. Slice scallions. Peel remaining 2 oranges,removing as much of white pith as possible, and separate intosections.

After lamb shanks are tender, add rhubarb, scallions and sugar toliquid in pot. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, untilrhubarb is tender but not mushy.

Cut lamb meat into bite-size pieces. Add back to pot along withorange segments and mint. Cook for a minute or two, just long enoughto heat through. Season with pepper.

Spoon lamb and vegetables over bulgur. Serves 4.

About 515 calories per serving: 54 percent carbohydrate, 17percent fat, 29 percent protein, 6 percent saturated fat; 15 gramsdietary fiber (with bulgur); 76 milligrams cholesterol; 642milligrams sodium (less if a no-salt-added beef broth is used).

Good source of thiamin (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), iron, magnesiumand potassium. Very good source of phosphorus and zinc. Excellentsource of niacin, vitamins B-12 and C, and copper.