When you have bought more mushrooms than you are going to use up in the week ahead, a simple way to keep them is to dice and sauté them, what the French call duxelles. You can then pack the sautéed dice in a small freezer bag and dip into it whenever you want a tablespoon or so to add to a sauce, a soup, an omelet, whatever.

Ingredients

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　2 teaspoons butter

　　1 teaspoon vegetable oil

　　1 shallot, finely chopped

　　Trim off, if necessary, the woody part of the mushroom stems, and with a damp cloth wipe off any dirt (don’t immerse the mushrooms in water). Chop both stems and caps into small dice. Spread them out on a towel, and sprinkle the salt over them. After about 10 minutes, pat dry to remove excess juice. Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a fairly large skillet, toss in the shallot, and sauté it gently for about 2 minutes. When the mushrooms have released their liquid, add them to the shallot, and cook together few minutes, until the pan is dry. Cool, and store in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze.

　　Cooks' Note

　　If you want to make up a large batch so you’ll always have this treasure at hand to give an intense mushroom flavor, just multiply the above ingredients, and be sure to use a larger pan for the increased amount.

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.