Flavour Safari

There's more to life than stirring, fretting and fussing. Peter Gordon knows how to produce a sumptuous feast without too much tedious effort North Africa supplies the influences, if not strictly all the flavours, for this month's dinner party. With winter in its death agony - sleet one day, sunshine the next - it's too much of a risk to make a whole meal that's summery and salady.

The crostini, with a luxurious topping of braised red onions and goat's cheese, nods towards the warmer bits of the world while still bringing a bit of ballast to the plate. Do make plenty of the roast onions because they are one of those delicious things that it's a joy to find in the fridge.

For the main course, the braised lamb shank is the kind of long, slow-cooked delight that does all the hard work by itself. The flavourings are kind of Tunisian, kind of Moroccan, with a few tastes of other continents thrown in for good measure. The balsamic vinegar and soy sauce make the gravy really rich and savoury, so make plenty of couscous to mop it all up. As for the little chocolate-hazelnut puds, these are a piece of pure indulgence. Unusually, there are no chillies, seeds, spices or other surprising additions to the mix. They are just their own sweet, sumptuous selves. Sometimes you can't improve on perfection. Braised red onion, garlic and rosemary crostini with goat's cheese This dish is easy to make and fairly versatile. The finished crostini make a great first course, but the braised onion and garlic mixture can also be served alone, alongside roast meat or grilled oily fish such as salmon or mackerel. If you slice the onions into rings then cook them the same way you can then toss them, when cold, through a salad. For six 6 medium red onions 250ml extra virgin olive oil 12 cloves of garlic, unpeeled 10cm piece of fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stem 125ml balsamic or red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 6 slices of real bread, 1cm thick, each about the size of a small hand 200g of your favourite goat's cheese Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the onions into quarters through the root, then peel off the skin. Place in a non-reactive roasting dish with the next six ingredients and mix well. Cover tightly with tin foil and roast for 60 minutes. Take the foil off and roast for a further ten minutes. When the onion mixture is ready, toast the bread until golden and spoon the mixture on, then crumble the cheese on top and drizzle with the pan juices. You can also leave the onions to cool in their juices and keep them in the fridge for two days. Couscous This is made from wheat and is a staple of North African diets. Most couscous you buy is pre-prepared, in that it has already been cooked and dried, thus will only need rehydrating for a short period. If you are making a very tasty dish to serve with it, then keep your couscous very simple. If, on the other hand, you were to serve a plain grilled lamb cutlet with it you could add herbs, crispy onions or whatever to flavour it up. To accompany six main courses 300g couscous grains 350ml tepid water half teaspoon each of salt and black pepper 30ml extra virgin olive oil 1 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley leaves Put the couscous into a heat-proof bowl and add the water and salt and pepper and mix well. Cover the bowl with Gladwrap and leave it for ten minutes in a warm place. Next add the oil and parsley and stir again, then leave covered in a warm place for another 15 minutes. Stir well just before serving it to break up the grains. The most appealing thing about this delicious dish is that once in the it oven can be left to look after itself while you get on with your life. It can be made from fresh or frozen lamb and if you can't get shanks then just use boned leg or shoulder of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 4cm cubes. For six main courses 6 lamb shanks 50ml sesame oil 3 red onions, peeled and quartered 10 cloves of garlic 400ml red wine 3 carrots, peeled and grated 200ml tamarind paste 10cm piece fresh rosemary 2 teaspoons dried mint 1 medium heat red chilli, sliced into rings, seeds intact 100ml balsamic vinegar 50ml soy sauce 1.5-2 litres of boiling meat or vegetable stock, enough to barely cover the lamb in the casserole dish 250g roughly chopped pitted dates Preheat the oven to 220C. Put the lamb shanks into a deep heavy pre-heated casserole dish and cook for 20 minutes until browned on all sides then drain the fat from the pan and discard. While they're browning heat the oil up in a large pot and add the onions and garlic and fry for four to five minutes to colour, stirring occasionally. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the dates to the pot, bring it to the boil then pour the mixture over the shanks. Seal the casserole with foil, or put a tight-fitting lid on and place in the oven, turning it down to 170C. Cook for two hours, then remove the foil and stir in the dates. Return to the oven and cook a further 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding any salt if needed and serve on couscous. Chocolate-hazelnut steamed puddings These are my favourite steamed chocolate puddings, the hazelnuts giving an edge to the taste and texture and they can be made up to four days in advance and reheated in a microwave on low. For six puddings 30g melted butter and 50g castor sugar to prepare the moulds 150g castor sugar 150g unsalted butter 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 100g flour 30g cocoa powder 40g fresh bread crumbs 120g hazelnuts, roasted, peeled and roughly chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 6 eggs, separated You will also need six 350ml oven-proof dishes Preheat oven to 180C Brush the little dishes with the melted butter and add the sugar, swirl it around to coat the inside of the dishes. Prepare a bain-marie by placing a roasting dish on the middle shelf of the oven with 3cm of hot water in it. In a heat-proof bowl place the chocolate, 80g of the sugar and all of the butter and melt over a pot of simmering water. Sieve the flour and cocoa and mix with the bread crumbs and hazelnuts. Beat the egg whites with the remaining 70g sugar to a firm meringue. Mix the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, then stir in the flour mixture. Quickly stir one third of the meringue into the chocolate mixture. Carefully fold the remainder in. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dishes and place them in the bain-marie. Cook for 25-30 minutes, then test with a thin knife or skewer pushed into the middle, it should come out clean. Leave to rest in their dishes for a few minutes before turning out. Serve with whipped cream, or a combination of equal quantities of mascarpone lightly beaten with cream.

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