This shrimp dish from chef Michael H. Flores comes together quickly and requires only one pan, so cleanup is easy. Serve it as a main course or as an appetizer.

Shrimp With Garlic and Vegetables

1/2 cup olive oil
15 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon crushed red chile flakes
1 zucchini, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup fish stock or clam juice
1 pound raw Texas shrimp, peeled, tails off
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, packed
2 teaspoons salt

In the olive oil, sauté the garlic and chile flakes for 5 minutes over low heat. Add the zucchini and bell pepper and continue sautéing for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Pour in the wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the stock or clam juice and bring to a boil. Once it has boiled, add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Squeeze in the lime juice and add the cilantro and salt.

Serve immediately with crusty French bread for dipping.

Makes 6 entrée or at least 8 hearty appetizer servings.

From Michael H. Flores.

Photo and recipe supplied by Texas Department of Agriculture (www.GoTexan.org).

Panna cotta, which is Italian for “cooked cream,” is one of those desserts that cooks either get so right you want to play kiss the chef or so wrong that you want to deliver a swift kick.

There is no in-between. I’ve had versions ruined with the likes of grana padano cheese, rosemary and pistachios, which destroyed both texture and flavor. I’ve also ruined one or two myself by using too much gelatin. The end result was more like Cream Jell-O rather than a dessert that can be a form of culinary seduction.

I was surprised to discover just how easy Thomas Keller’s version was in “Ad Hoc at Home.” The celebrated chef, who also owns the French Laundry, didn’t dress his panna cotta up, except by using sour cream, buttermilk and crème fraîche to give it a tangy taste.

His version doesn’t really “cook” too much, which is fine. Just don’t expect to up-end this version onto a serving plate. It’s better to use a martini glass or a special bowl for each serving.

As Keller says, “Panna cotta can be served plain or enhanced with a compote or a sauce.” And I’ve included my own at the end.

Panna Cotta

1 1/2 teaspoons powdered, unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk or 1/4 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream

Put the gelatin in a small cup and add the water. Let stand for about 5 minutes to soften.

Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla and sugar in a medium bowl.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, just to warm. Add the softened gelatin, stirring to dissolve. Rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers; it should not feel gritty. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes; then stir the gelatin mixture into the sour cream mixture.

Whip the crème fraîche in a mixer until it thickens and holds a shape. Fold in the sour cream mixture, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Spoon into six 4- to 5-ounce martini glasses, ramekins or bowls. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or up to 2 days.

Top with your favorite sauce. For one variation, see below.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from “Ad Hoc at Home” by Thomas Keller

Blueberry Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sweet wine, red or white
1/4 cup sugar
1/4-1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
About 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, but don’t let it burn. Add white and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then reduce by half. Add blueberries, a generous squeeze of juice from a lemon, a pinch of salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

From John Griffin

The following cocktails are updated versions of old favorites using whiskey, specifically Canadian Mist.

Mistopolitan

2 ounces Canadian Mist
3 ounces cranberry juice
1 ounce triple sec
Splash of lime juice
Lime slice

Combine whiskey, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice with ice in a shaker. Shake well and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime.

Makes 1 cocktail.

From Canadian Mist

Mist Fizz

1 ½ ounces Canadian Mist
5 ounces ginger ale
Lemon twist or cherry for garnish

Pour whiskey and ginger ale into tall glass of ice. Garnish with lemon twist or cherry.

Makes 1 cocktail.

From Canadian Mist

A food processor is a big help with chopping the onions and mushrooms to the fine point you want for this soup.

Mixed Mushroom Soup

1 ounce butter
1 pound onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 pounds mixed mushrooms, finely chopped (see note)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
3 ounces flour
2 pints vegetable or mushroom stock
1 pint whole milk or fat-free half-and-half
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

In a large stockpot, melt the butter over a very low heat, add the onions and cook gently for 10 minutes or until translucent. Raise the heat, add the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until the juices start to run, then stir in the flour. Lower the heat and cook, stirring continuously, for about 8 minutes. Combine the stock and milk in a separate pan and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Gradually add the stock and milk to the mushroom mixture, whisking to avoid lumps. Heat the soup at just below simmering point for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme, check the seasoning and serve.

Note: This recipe was tested with a mixture of button caps, brown mushrooms and portobellos. I stirred porcini powder, available at specialty supermarkets like Central Market, to enhance the place. I used thin slices of button cap as a garnish.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Adapted from “Avoca Café Cookbook” by Hugo Arnold with Leylie Hayes

Here are two cocktails inspired by the blues of “Avatar.” The color in the drinks comes from blue curaçao, a sweet form of triple sec that has an orange flavor. Because of the added sweetness, you won’t need to add any simple syrup.

“Avatar”-tini

2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce blue curaçao
Splash of pineapple juice, if desired
Orange slice for garnish

In an ice-filled shaker, pour in vodka, curaçao and pineapple juice, if using. Shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Makes 1 cocktail.

You can make a pitcher of these, using a 4:1 ratio of vodka to blue curaçao.

From John Griffin

“Avatar”-ita

2 ounces silver tequila
1 ounce blue curaçao
1 ounce triple sec
2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice, or less, to taste
1 slice of orange

In an ice-filled shaker, mix tequila, blue curaçao, triple sec and lime juice. Shake vigorously and pour, ice and all, into a salt- or sugar-rimmed margarita glass. Squeeze the juice from one slice of orange on top. Serve.

Makes 1 cocktail.

If you want to make a pitcher of these, use the ratio of 1:1:1 of tequila to orange-flavored liquors to lime juice. (Use less lime juice to taste.)

From John Griffin

These are cookies that even Kevin in “Up” would love. Use chunky peanut butter with Snickers or creamy peanut butter with Milky Way.  You can also use chocolate chunks.

By the way, though Kevin in the movie eats candy bars, chocolate is poison to real-life birds, so don’t share any of these treats with your feathered friends.

Bird Seed

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (see above)
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 (11.5-ounce) bags miniature Snickers or Milky Way, unwrapp

Beat together butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt and vanilla until fluffy.  Add eggs and baking soda and beat to combine.  Add flour and beat until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.  Wrap dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap about 52 mini candy bars. Using about 1 1/4 tablespoon dough (or a No. 50 cookie scoop), flatten dough in your hand and put a candy bar in the middle, wrap the dough around the candy bar and seal. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake about 12 minutes.  Let cookies rest about 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Makes about 52 cookies.

From Judy Baum

(photo: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios)

A Middle Eastern favorite that has taken on global appeal in the last 20 years, hummus is a perfect party dip that you can shape to your own tastes. Add roasted red pepper, pumpkin, edamame, canned chipotles, avocado or onion to the mix. For garnishes, try black olives,  pomegranate seeds, cilantro or basil leaves, or a dry, crumbly cheese like cotija.

“The Hurt Locker” Hummus

3 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) dried garbanzo beans, picked over, soaked overnight in cold water and drained, or 6 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained, reserving the liquid
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon salt, or more, to taste
1/2 cup tahini (see note)
Crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Toasted pine nuts, for garnish
Chopped mint leaves, for garnish
Sumac, for garnish

Place the garbanzos in a pot of lightly salted water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. The beans will begin to foam within 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the foam with a skimmer and continue to cook, partially covered, until the beans are tender, 1 to 3 hours. Add boiling water to keep the garbanzos covered until they are soft. When done, remove 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain the rest. Return the beans to the cooking pot and, when cool enough to touch, remove the skins.

Process the garbanzos, 1/2 cup olive oil and 1 cup of the drained cooking water in a food processor until creamy.

Pound the garlic with 1 tablespoon salt until it is a creamy mush.

In a small bowl, mix the tahini, red pepper, if using, and lemon  juice. If it is too thick, add water (not more lemon juice). Stir the tahini mixture into the garlic and salt. Stire this into the garbanzo mixture, adjust the salt, season with pepper. Check the consistency. If it is too thick, add some of the remaining cooking water until it is smooth.

Spoon hummus into a serving dish. Warm the remaining olive oil. Make a spiral or fan-shaped swirl in the hummus and fill with the warm olive oil. Garnish with toasted pine nuts around the edges and a sprinkling of chopped mint on top. Sprinkle sumac over the top of the whole. Serve with warm pita bread or pita chips.

Note: Tahini, a sesame seed paste, is available at many supermarkets, specialty grocers such as Central Market or Whole Foods, or at Middle Eastern markets.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from “Little Foods of the Mediterranean” by Clifford W. Wright

I first had this dish in the southern Alentejo region of Portugal. Though the traditional dish is a happy marriage of pork and clams, the recipe can be modified by using only seafood, such as mussels, scallops or cubes of fish in addition to the clams.  It could also be made with chicken added as well as numerous other vegetables in the sauce, including zucchini, celery and carrots. Serve this with a young, chilled Vinho Verde.

Cataplana

4 dozen clams
3 medium Spanish onions, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut in thin strips
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut in thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large bay leaf
1 (16-ounce) can tomatoes (do not drain)
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 pound smoked ham, cut into small dice
1/4 pound chouriço or mild Italian sausage, cut into small dice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
6 jumbo shrimp, peeled

Scrub and clean the clams. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Sauté the onions, garlic and peppers in the olive oil, 8 to 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the bay leaf and tomatoes in their water. Cook slowly for 30 minutes; add the tomato sauce, prosciutto, smoked ham, and pepperoni, re-cover, and cook 30 minutes longer. 

To assemble the cataplana, spoon half the tomato mixture into the bottom of a very large cataplana (it should measure about 15 inches across) or into a large heavy Dutch-oven type of kettle, and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Adjust the heat so that the mixture barely boils, arrange the clams on top, spoon in the remaining tomato sauce, cover tight, and cook 10 minutes over moderately low heat — no peeking. Open the cataplana or kettle, pour in the wine, scatter the parsley evenly on top, then toss the clams lightly. Re-cover and cook slowly 15 to 20 minutes longer until the clams open — discard any that do not.

Carry the cataplana or kettle to the table, open, and toss in the shrimp. Let set for several minutes while the shrimp cook and the temperature comes down slightly. Serve in large soup plates. Serve with rough country bread. The top of the cataplana can be used for empty clam shells. If you are using a Dutch oven, have a bowl for the shells.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Adapted from “The Foods of Portugal” by Jean Anderson

This recipe, says chef Clive Berkman, is perfect as a side for any grilled food.

Potato Pancake

3 large gold potatoes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
3 shallots, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut potatoes in thin, round slices (1/8-inch thick). Use a mandolin if you have one.

Melt one-half of the butter in an oven-proof omelet pan and lightly caramelize the chopped shallots. Remove shallots and add the rest of the butter to the pan. Layer the potato slices around the pan so that they completely cover the bottom of the pan. Brush with melted butter, season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Make another layer of potato slices, brush with butter, season. Now, make one layer of all the shallots. Continue building two more layers of potatoes, brushing each with butter and seasoning, until all of the potatoes are in the pan.

On medium heat, cook the bottom part of the pancake for 3-4 minutes. Be careful to not let it burn. Take pan off stove and put into the oven, uncovered. Bake until potatoes are golden brown, at least 30 minutes (this could vary depending on how thick you cut the potatoes and how big your pan is). Allow pancake to cool slightly. Flip pancake onto a serving platter so that the crunchy bottom side is up. Cut into wedges.

Dress it up: Use truffle butter in the bottom of the pan when adding potatoes.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from “Creating Empty Bottle Moments” by Clive Berkman

Tired of the cold? Want a taste of summer? Stir up a pitcher of lemonade.

Lemonade

1/2 cup sugar or sweetener you can cook with, like Ideal
1/2 cup water
At least 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Club soda or seltzer water plus a pinch of salt

Bring sugar and water to a boil to make a simple syrup. Let cool.

In a pitcher with plenty of ice, pour in lemon juice. Add at least 1/2 of the syrup. Stir. Pour in at least 8 ounces carbonated water. Taste. Adjust to your preferences. Some like lemonade with hardly any sweetness at all, so they would add more lemon. Some may want more syrup. Some may want more carbonated water.

Garnish with lemon slices, mint or basil.

From John Griffin