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Melt 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the mushrooms; continue cooking until they give off their liquid and it almost all evaporates, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Crumble in the ground beef. Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle ¼ cup flour over the mixture in the pan and cook, stirring all the while, for 1 minute.

Stirring constantly, slowly pour in the broth; continue cooking and stirring until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Stir in the oysters, thyme, sage, ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Pour into a 10-inch, 2-quart, round, high-sided casserole and set aside.

Place the remaining 1 cup flour in a medium bowl; stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cut in the shortening and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon ice water; stir with a fork just until a dough begins to form, adding more ice water as necessary.

Sprinkle the work surface with a little water, then lay a large piece of wax paper over it. Lightly flour the wax paper, then turn the dough out onto it. Knead once or twice to get the dough to adhere, then dust it with flour and pat it into a flattened ball. Roll into a circle that is 1 inch wider than the diameter of the casserole.

Pick up the wax paper (and the dough circle on it) and flip it over on top of the casserole. Peel off the wax paper, leaving the dough on top of the casserole. Seal it to the edges.

Bake until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling underneath, about 40 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Variations: Omit the pastry top; buy frozen puff pastry, thaw according to the package directions, and cut a sheet to fit the top of the casserole.

For a richer casserole, use 1 pound lean ground beef and ½ pound ground veal.

Add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or several dashes of hot red pepper sauce with the thyme.

Creamy Oyster Étouffée

Although crawfish are customary in this Louisiana specialty, oysters make a briny and richer dish. Have lots of white rice to make a bed for this rich stew. Makes 6 servings

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups fish, vegetable, or chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

1½ pounds shucked oysters

½ cup heavy cream

Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a large saucepan set over low heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and cayenne; cook for 20 seconds.

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture, count to ten, then cook, whisking constantly, until the flour has incorporated and turned golden, about 3 minutes.

Whisking constantly, add the broth in a slow, thin stream. Whisk in the wine until smooth. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a low simmer.

Add the oysters (and any juice) along with the cream. Stir well, cover, reduce the heat to very low, and cook just until the oysters are opaque and the sauce is thick, about 3 minutes. Let stand off the heat for 5 minutes and check the dish to see if it needs any salt.

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Shrimp and Scallops

Although barely related biologically, shrimp and scallops are interchangeable in most of these recipes because we don’t eat the whole animal; rather, we eat its largest muscle—in shrimp, the one that runs along the tail; and in scallops, the one that opens and closes the shell. The one rule in all these preparations? Don’t overcook. Shrimp and scallops are done within minutes of being added to a dish. Longer cooking toughens