Lamb

Most cuts of lamb are too expensive for soup and wouldn’t make good culinary sense anyway. My favorite cut for making lamb soups is the shank, which is inexpensive, stays moist during cooking, and provides a delicious broth. Its only disadvantage is that it often needs to be ordered a day in advance from the butcher—a damper for the spontaneous cook. If you’re using shanks to make a small amount of soup, have your butcher cut them in half crosswise so they’ll fit into the pot. You can also use lamb shoulder, neck, or even, for the extravagant, leg.